She's Always Been Right There
by Gleeks09
Summary: AU: Rachel discovers that Broadway superstar, and her idol, Shelby Corcoran is her mother. This takes place after Sectionals in the first season. Rachel learns the truth and she and her parents, old and new, must work their way through this revelation.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Hello everyone! I'm trying out something new. I was wary of starting another multi-chapter story while still writing Changed for the Better, but I'm doing it. I can't get this out of my head and I want to write it. Please give tons of credit to mione1 (that's the tumblr name; I don't know your FF name) for bringing this idea to the forefront of my mind. I thought about something like this ages ago and let it go, but I'm glad it was mentioned to me again because I'm really intrigued by how this could play out. **

**Don't worry, there will still be regular updates of Changed for the Better as well (although I know I'm behind right now). That story isn't going anywhere for a while. **

**As for this story, it takes place right after Sectionals in the first season. I'm using the birth date the show gave us which means Rachel was 14 when it started and turned 15 that December. I'm also ignoring some of the stuff that came later like Rachel's veganism and things like that. Please leave a review and let me know what you all think of this. Thank you, guys! You're all the best, you know! **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. I could never put my name on some of the stories they've given us recently. Ever. **

The morning sunshine crept into the dark bedroom, but it had yet to disturb its sleeping occupant. It was long past the time her alarm normally went off, but the fourteen-year-old was sleeping in that Saturday morning. She had earned it. They all had. New Directions had performed spectacularly at the Sectionals performance the night before and had won. The glee club would live on, at least until Regionals, and after being allowed to stay out late with her teammates to celebrate, Rachel Berry was now taking the time the sleep in and re-live her moment of triumph in her dreams. She had seen herself performing "Don't Rain on My Parade" to countless filled houses in her mind's eye many times, but last night she had actually done it. And, according to everyone, it had been perfect. She had saved the day. She and her team had come together and pulled off a feat that everyone else told them was impossible.

Everyone told her she'd been brilliant. Her dads. Random people in the audience. Miss. Pillsbury. Rachel had lavished in the attention and praise. Sitting with everyone in the green room after they had been declared the winners, Rachel found her mind inexplicably wondering to a person she'd never seen before. The longing for her mom flashed so suddenly as she watched Mrs. Lopez cup Santana's face and tell her she was wonderful that Rachel's smile had faded by the time her fathers got to her. It returned just as quickly as they lifted her off her feet and exclaimed that she was a star.

Rachel rolled over in bed and tried to hang on to the last ounce of sleep that was left, but it was soon gone and she opened her eyes and stared lazily around her room, opting to at least stay in her warm bed for a little while longer. Her eyes passed over numerous Broadway posters and memorabilia. Bernadette Peters was there. As was Patti LuPone. Barbra Streisand almost had her own wall with Judy Garland making a few guest appearances. Barbra was her idol; a god among the people who graced the world with her flawless voice and immeasurable talent. She would always be Rachel's favorite. But there was another woman who Rachel had looked up to for years. She was perfect and also another idol. But she seemed much more attainable. Barbra lived in the clouds among the gods, but Shelby Corcoran was right there in New York City. She was currently on Broadway and already had two Tony Awards. Plus, Barbra was Shelby's idol too and Rachel liked that they had that in common.

Rachel threw her blankets back and walked over to look at her most prized possession. It was an autographed Shelby Corcoran poster and it was framed and hung in her room so that it couldn't be missed to anyone who walked in there. Rachel had never actually seen Shelby on Broadway or in concert (she owned every movie, of course), but she had found that poster on eBay last year. The $300 seemed like a small price to pay for such an amazing poster. Her dads' credit card hadn't been too hard to obtain either. Rachel had waited until the sale was final and the poster was in the mail to confess her crime and took the grounding she received with her head held high. It was worth it. Shelby Corcoran was worth it.

Rachel never quite understood why her dads didn't seem to warm to Shelby Corcoran like they did every other artist she was interested in. They both loved Broadway and enjoyed performing with Rachel and usually jumped enthusiastically in feet first to whatever was Rachel's favorite at the time. But the moment the seven-year-old had discovered Shelby Corcoran, they had shied away from it.

_"Daddy, you have to hear this lady sing!" Rachel exclaimed as she ran down the stairs. "Dads!"_

_ "What is it, Rach?" Hiram asked. He put down his newspaper and stared wide-eyed at his excited little girl. They'd been through this several times before. _

_ "It's a brand new show," Rachel said. She waited until LeRoy had sat down at the table with his coffee. "I read about it when Daddy let me look at the Broadway page on the computer. And then I bought the CD at the mall with my allowance money when Mrs. James took me after school yesterday. I didn't get a chance to listen to it until today."_

_ LeRoy nodded. They had been home late from work yesterday and Mrs. James, their neighbor, always watched Rachel on late days. He hated when a late day had to be Friday, but they'd gone out for a late dinner and Rachel had been worn out by the time they got home._

_ "Can I see it?" LeRoy asked, reaching out for the CD that Rachel was clutching to her. _

_ "Not yet," Rachel answered. "You have to listen first."_

_ "Put it on then," Hiram said. He had no doubt this would be good because if there was one thing their daughter had, it was impeccable taste in Broadway musicals. _

_ Rachel skipped happily over to the stereo and put the CD in and took a second to select the right track. She hit play and then stepped back and watched her fathers because she didn't want to miss their reactions to her amazing new discovery. _

_ The song was a classic Broadway ballad and Rachel's smile widened when the woman started to sing. Hiram smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes and he hurriedly looked at his husband who was looking back at him with the same look of mild panic. They knew that voice. They'd listened to that voice singing to their little girl for about seven months. _

_ "Her name is Shelby Corco- Corc-" she stumbled over the pronunciation. _

_ "Corcoran," Hiram and LeRoy said at the same time. _

_ "Yeah!" Rachel said. "Do you know who she is?"_

_ "No," LeRoy said as Hiram shook his head. _

_ "She's wonderful!" Rachel gushed. "And look how pretty she is." Rachel opened the CD and pulled out the insert and passed it to her dads. "I read yesterday that she might get a Tony nomination for this. I hope she does."_

_ "Yeah," LeRoy said. _

_ "How about some breakfast?" Hiram said as he dropped the booklet to the table and stood up. "Turn that off and help me, ok?"_

_ "But she's got three more songs," Rachel said. _

_ "You can listen to them later," LeRoy said. "How about waffles?"_

The poster smiled back at Rachel as she stepped away towards her bathroom to get ready for the day.

It wasn't until the girl was older that Rachel really started to recognize how much she and Shelby Corcoran looked alike. Rachel loved it. Shelby Corcoran was Broadway royalty and if she could make it there and be respected then there was no reason why Rachel couldn't. She didn't need to get rid of her nose like some of the kids at school said. She didn't need to lighten her hair or change the way she dressed. Just wait until she was big on Broadway like Shelby Corcoran. What would all those kids say then?

Rachel had certainly had her share of daydreams about the woman she adored. Shelby was a family friend who doted on Rachel. Or Rachel met her in Central Park and Shelby gave her tickets to her show. Or Rachel saved Shelby's dog when he ran out into the street and she knew that the woman would love her forever. There were even the fantasies about Shelby being her mother. It would be perfect, Rachel knew. It always was. Shelby Corcoran was not the first woman Rachel had picked out to be her mom. She'd pretended with teachers and Barbra Streisand and countless other celebrities. It was an easy allusion to play in her head. The loop was endless and, to Rachel, completely feasible.

Hiram and LeRoy often wondered if they were doing the right thing in keeping Shelby's identity a secret from Rachel. When she was seven they had hoped it was a phase she would pass out of, but Shelby's place as her favorite had yet to be usurped. They had been advised to create the contract when they decided to use a surrogate because they had heard stories of women changing their minds and keeping the babies. They didn't think they would be able to bear that. Very early in the pregnancy, Shelby had agreed easily. She was young and her head was in New York City. Shelby grew to really adore the men she was creating a baby for and she knew they would be wonderful fathers. She used to sing for them and they fawned over her. She sang to the little girl in her womb and talked to her constantly. Shelby talked about everything from New York to Broadway to Barbra and little things like what they should have for dinner and not to take her dads' corny jokes seriously.

The men could see her growing attached. They knew Shelby was an only child and her parents seemed distant. She was a barely out of college 21-year-old and they were both already 36. As the little life in her started to kick and move, Shelby started to truly understand what she was giving up. But she held true to her word and the contract she had signed. The only time she really broke was in the hospital the morning she had given birth. Legally, they didn't have to let her see Rachel. But they loved Shelby and she had begged. She couldn't stop her tears as the tiny baby was placed her in arms. Hiram snapped pictures as the two of them stared at each other with wide, shining eyes. Shelby was given time to hold and love her child. She nursed her and rocked her to sleep. And then she said goodbye.

The most precious thing Shelby Corcoran carried with her when she boarded the plane to New York City one week after having a child was copies of the pictures Hiram had taken. She had given life to a child and given a family to two loving men who were desperate for a baby. She had taken joy in their joy and soaked in the long hugs goodbye and thank you after thank you whispered in her ear. Shelby clung to the picture of that beautiful little baby and vowed to make it. She would conquer Broadway. And when she found Rachel eighteen years later, that little girl would be proud.

As Rachel grew older, Hiram and LeRoy began discussing the possibility of telling Rachel the truth. Her mother was a subject that clearly intrigued the girl and, though she never directly asked who the woman was, she talked about it often enough. Once Rachel was too old to believe the fairy stories, her father sat her down and explained surrogacy to her. She followed along and understood and liked feeling special enough to have had two fathers do everything to get her and be a family. The woman remained a mystery to her though.

As a younger child, the abstract was enough for Rachel. There was a woman who could be her mom. But as she got older, the need for more details became prevalent. The fantasies of her favorite celebrity being a loving mother who kissed her goodnight smiled adoringly from the audience as she sang in a recital were not as much as she needed anymore. She wanted to know more, but didn't know how to ask. So she started doing research on her own.

She didn't know where to start, so Rachel started at the top.

_Daddy!" the 13-year-old yelled as she came in from a Saturday afternoon bike ride to the library. "Dad." _

_ "Yes, sweetheart," LeRoy said as he stepped out of the kitchen where he had been preparing lunch for them all. _

_ "Daddy," I think I may have figured it out," Rachel said. She followed him back to the kitchen and climbed up on a stool at the island. She plopped her bag down and pulled out a stack of papers._

_ "Figured what out?" Hiram asked. He had just come from upstairs._

_ "Who my mom is," Rachel said. There was a silence and she looked up at the two shocked faces before her. "Just because I'm curious," she continued on hurriedly. "Mother's Day is next week and there are all these commercials about it and I'm just curious so I decided to do some research." She didn't want to hurt their feelings. _

_ "That's ok, Rachel," LeRoy said. "There's nothing wrong with curiosity." _

_ Hiram nodded, but shot his husband a look as he poured himself a glass of water and then sat down at the island across from Rachel. "Go on," he said and then took a sip._

_ "My mother is Shelby Corcoran," Rachel said._

_ Hiram immediately started to choke and he set the drink down. LeRoy hit him on the back a few times in order to help his husband start to breathe properly. Rachel watched them with wide eyes and tried to read their faces. _

_ "Are you ok now?" LeRoy asked Hiram._

_ "Yes, thank you," Hiram answered. He turned and looked at Rachel. "What makes you say that?"_

_ "Well," Rachel sat up straighter and quickly sorted through her research. "First, our looks. Obvious we look exactly alike and she's exceptionally talented and I'm exceptionally talented. And according to this biography, she didn't get to New York City until 1995 which is after I was born. She's not from Ohio, which kind of puts a snag in my thinking, but she is from Indiana which is close enough."_

_ She continued to rattle of generic bits of information about the star and Hiram and LeRoy exchanged a glance. It was just a couple of moments, but their eyes spoke volumes. Now was the time. They should tell her. The opportunity was right here. They realized in those moments that they were both ok with it. Rachel had always been curious about her mother. Shelby was a kind and loving young woman and despite what Rachel thought, they had been following her career quite closely. She skyrocketed to fame, but everything they saw about her pointed the level-headed dreamer they'd grown to love when she carried their child. They had never been sure if the contract had been the right thing to do. Would their daughter be any worse for having known her mother her whole life? Probably not. But would it be too confusing now? Maybe. Was it time?_

_ "Rachel," LeRoy started when the girl stopped her Shelby explanation. She looked at him briefly, but plowed ahead._

_ "Do you want to see the research I have that proves Bernadette Peters is my mother?" Rachel asked. _

_ The men exchanged a glance again. The moment was gone and they let it pass. After all, shouldn't Shelby also be involved in a conversation like that? The woman had the expectation that she wouldn't know Rachel until the girl turned 18. Was it fair to her to let the 13-year-old know? Was Shelby ready? And it's not like they knew how to get in contact with her. Telling Rachel now would put them on the fast track for having to track the woman down. And besides, the moment was gone. _

"Good morning, sweetheart," Hiram said when Rachel finally made it downstairs that Saturday after Sectionals.

"Morning," she said brightly.

"I started some breakfast for you when I heard the shower turn off," LeRoy said. He placed a plate with pancakes and eggs and a glass of juice in front of the girl and she smiled ravenously. She was always hungriest in the morning.

"Thanks!" Rachel said.

"So, we were talking about your birthday," Hiram said. "When is it again, LeRoy?"

"Dad," Rachel scolded.

"This Friday," LeRoy said and then winked at his daughter.

"Oh right!" Hiram said. "We've been thinking about what you might like to do this year and we thought maybe a trip was in order."

"A trip?" Rachel asked around a bite of pancakes. "Where?"

"Well between our little girl turning 15 and your fantastic performance at Sectionals last night, I can't think of anywhere better than New York City," LeRoy said.

"New York City?" Rachel squeaked out. She'd been before. They'd taken her several times, but her eyes always shone with the excitement of a little kid when a trip to New York City was mentioned.

"Yep," Hiram said. "How does that sound?"

"It sounds perfect!" Rachel said. "Thank you!" It was true she had been before, but this would be different. They usually went during the summer. Winter in New York City could be magical, especially if she was there on her birthday. "When are we going?"

"We've got tickets for early Friday morning so that you get to spend most of your birthday there," LeRoy said. "And we'll fly home Monday evening."

"Thank you so much!" Rachel said, almost knocking over her juice as she got up to hug them. This would be one of the best birthdays yet. It was always just her and her dads for her birthday anyway, so why not spend it in the greatest city in the world?

"You're welcome?" Hiram said. "We've got tickets to see a couple shows as well."

Rachel beamed. "Which ones? Are we seeing _Wounded Heart_?" It was Shelby Corcoran's musical. According to every review, she was giving the best performance of her career. She took home the Tony for it in June and Rachel was dying to see it. She had lamented to her fathers on more than one occasion that she was never going to get to see Shelby Corcoran live.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but we couldn't get tickets," Hiram said. "It's just too popular. It's sold out for months in advance." Or so he'd heard. He hadn't really checked for tickets to the show.

"Oh," Rachel said. "That's ok. I'm so excited to be going for my birthday. I need to start packing. Can we get the suitcases from the basement today?"

"We're not flying until Friday," LeRoy said. "We don't really need suitcases yet."

"But I have so much to do," Rachel said.

"I know. We'll get them out later," LeRoy told her. If he got her suitcases today, Rachel would be packed and ready by this evening and her impatience was already going to be at an all-time high all week and he didn't want to add to that.

After breakfast, the fathers had invited her for an afternoon of antiquing with them, but Rachel declined. She gave them twenty minutes to actually be gone and then she headed to the basement in search of her suitcases. They made not need theirs yet, but according to Rachel, one did not just pack for a birthday weekend in New York City in one day. The suitcases were imperative.

And they were so high up on the shelf. Why did her dads do that? They were so tall and she was so short. A ladder work of shelving lined one wall in the basement and the suitcases were put up out of her reach. Why did they do that? They were on the shelf second from the top and unless Rachel wanted to drag a chair all the way down there, they only way she was going to get to them was to climb.

Getting up was the easy part. She clung to the shelves and reached out for the handles to her suitcase and pulled it from its spot and then let it fall. It landed with a satisfying thud and she turned back for her smaller one. It didn't come out as easily and she scooted her way closer so she could get better leverage to pull. The stupid suitcase wouldn't budge and she had to pull harder. One last tug and she should have it. The suitcase loosened and so did her footing as she was propelled backwards from the shelf. She instinctively grabbed for anything she could hold on to and her hand grasped around a gray box on the very top of shelf. It was not heavy enough to hold her in place and it started to fall right along with the girl and the suitcase.

Rachel landed on top of the other suitcase and the smaller fell on top of her, but she easily brushed it off. The gray box landed on its corner and it popped open spilling papers everywhere.

"Ow," Rachel moaned as she took a second to realize she wasn't really hurt. She was going to have to talk to her dads about why they insisted on storing the suitcases that high. It really made no sense, especially when she needed them when they weren't home.

Rachel shifted to the side so that she was sitting on the floor and started to gather up the papers that needed to be put back in the box. It was a lock box that protected important documents from fires or floods, but apparently not from falls. It must have hit just right to pop open like that. Rachel looked through some of it as she put them back in the box. There were birth certificates and insurance papers and other things that were equally boring to the 14-year-old. It wasn't until she got to the bottom of the pile and she saw a closed manila envelope with 'Rachel' written in her dad's hurried handwriting on the front that her interest was truly piqued.

Rachel lifted the latches and opened the flap and pulled her history from within. On the very top of the neat pile of papers she retrieved from the envelope was a small stack of pictures. Rachel's hand was trembling as she held the first picture. She wasn't sure how long she sat and stared into the face of her idol as the woman looked into the face of the baby in her arms. Rachel turned the picture over and written on the back in faded blue ink were the words, 'Shelby and Rachel – December 18, 1994.'

The next picture was taken from over Shelby's shoulder so that Rachel's face could be seen clearly. The next was Shelby cradling the wide-awake infant who had a secure grip on her mother's finger. The fourth picture showed Shelby kissing her head. And last had Shelby holding Rachel so that they both faced the camera. There were unshed tears in Shelby's eyes.

Rachel looked them over again. And again. She was wrapped in a blanket she'd never seen before. The bitter thought of how it was also a mother she'd never seen before entered her mind. She spread them out in front of her so she could see them all at once. Each was marked with the same caption.

Rachel finally looked away from the pictures so that she could go through the papers. There was her original birth certificate that listed Shelby Corcoran as her mother. The one she had seen before was one her fathers' received after all of the adoption paperwork had been finalized. Hiram Berry was listed as her father. She wondered if that had just been so they could put something down. Rachel always believed they didn't know which one was her biological father.

The next piece of paper she picked up was the contract. She read through it carefully so she would understand exactly what it said. Her fathers were to have full and complete physical custody. Her mother could not seek her out or initiate any contact until the child turned 18. There at the bottom was Shelby's signature. It was quite as impressive as the flourish she gave her autograph, but it was clear.

Confusion and hurt settled into Rachel as she sat there looking at her life through new eyes. Did her mother not want to see her until she was 18? Or were her fathers making sure the woman stayed away? But why? Tears of anger pricked her eyes. She'd been talking about Shelby Corcoran forever and they'd never thought to mention the most important thing about the woman. She remembered every time they tried to downplay the connection she felt towards the woman. And why had Shelby never looked for her? Because of some stupid contract?

Her mom was a Broadway star and anyone who knew Rachel knew she loved Broadway more than anything. Her fathers had been keeping her from the person who could give her an up close and personal look at her dream. They were denying her a world she'd fantasized about for years. Not that she would ever want to leave them or live without them. They were her parents and she adored them. But she was so angry. And so sad. It wasn't fair. She had never known how to ask and they had never known how to tell her.

Rachel sat there for another hour going through the rest of the papers from lawyers and for the adoption before she finally put them all back into the envelope. She kept the pictures though. She would never give up those pictures.

Rachel closed the lockbox and climbed back up to set it on the top shelf. Her descent was much more graceful this time and she was soon leaving the basement with the pictures and suitcases. She hid the pictures in her desk and put the suitcases to the side and then paced the room as she tried to figure out what to do. She wanted to yell at her fathers and demand to know why they never told her. She wanted to call the theater where _Wounded Heart_ was playing and insist on speaking to Shelby and demand to know why the woman never sought her out. Shouldn't a mother's love be stronger than a contract?

In the end, she did nothing. She finally exhausted herself and sat at her desk and reached for her iPod. She found the song she wanted and let it play loudly throughout her room. It was slow and powerful and spoke about the love Shelby had for the girl her character was trying to protect in _Wounded Heart_. Rachel had imagined herself as that girl character countless times. She stared up at her beloved poster as the music played and she let her tears fall. It turns out that the woman she'd pretended was her mother had actually been singing her to sleep for years.

Friday morning was quiet for Shelby Corcoran. She cherished her quiet mornings when she got them. She was sipping warm tea with honey in her kitchen with an open card sitting on the table in front of her. She was grateful to be in a place in her career when she could say no to a Friday morning rehearsal or an interview. She wanted this day to herself. She always did.

Shelby set her tea down and picked up a pen so she could sign the card. She carefully wrote 2009 in the inside corner and then read over the birthday message once again. It was pretty generic. She didn't know what Rachel was into or what type of kid she was. But she knew that fifteen years ago today she had given birth to the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. Shelby thought about the pictures she had framed and displayed only in her bedroom where no one else would see. The baby she held in those pictures was becoming a young woman. But she was still a kid, Shelby knew. A precious kid.

Shelby took her time in writing a note to her daughter. When she was finished she signed it, like all the others, with, 'love, Mom.' Shelby put the card in the envelope and sealed it. She would never mail it out, of course. But she always got something. She got up and carried the card into her bedroom and opened a small box and placed this card under the others so that it was on the bottom. There were other birthday cards and Hanukah cards. There were also letters that Shelby had written throughout the years. Writing was the only way she'd been able to talk to Rachel and she had found it to be cathartic over the years.

Shelby thought about Rachel every day, but never more so than on her birthday. She wished she could at least know what the girl was like. What did she look like? Was she into music? Did she even know who Shelby was? Lots of kids didn't care at all about Broadway, but she hoped her daughter wasn't one of them. Her fame was the only way her daughter may know who she is and Shelby held on to that.

She had long ago created a fund for Rachel that the girl would get when she was 21. Or she could have it sooner if she needed it for college. Or Shelby would just pay for college if it was needed. She knew she would contact the Berrys when Rachel turned 18. She had always known she would. She would talk to Hiram and LeRoy first, but she wanted to know her daughter and she wanted the girl to know her.

Shelby picked up her tea from the table and moved to look out on her spectacular view of Manhattan. The view had been one of the selling points for the large apartment she'd purchased three years ago. She loved New York City with everything she had and the view on a perfect morning never failed to amaze her.

The weather was on the Berrys' side and a light snowfall didn't start until after they had landed. Rachel was excited and bouncy and her usual self. Her fathers didn't know anything about the discovery she'd made or her plans for that weekend. They woke her up the morning singing "Happy Birthday" and she knew it would be. This would be an amazing weekend. It just had to be.

Friday was spent shopping and eating at great restaurants and was topped off with a show on Broadway that evening. They were all exhausted by the time they returned to the hotel. The men had book a suite so that Rachel would have her own room, but would not be separated from them. She was so tired that she leaned against LeRoy the whole way up to the room. It made her miss being younger and one of them would just scoop her up and carry her.

Rachel thought about Shelby as she was lying in bed that night. She hadn't been able to bring it up to her dads in the same way she'd never been able to just ask them outright her whole life. She didn't want to be angry, but she was. And she was hurt and confused. But she was also afraid. What is Shelby didn't want to meet her? Rachel would be devastated. She had decided that she needed to meet her. She needed to see her face-to-face and know she was looking at her mom. And she needed her mom to know who she was. Then she would tell her dads. Much like getting the poster on eBay, Rachel needed to know Shelby was hers first before she told her dads.

They ate a quiet breakfast together in the hotel that Saturday morning. Rachel eyed them fondly and knew they were in good moods. She needed permission to carry out her plan.

"Can I go off for a little while by myself later?" Rachel asked after a sip of juice.

"By yourself?" LeRoy asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Just to walk around and look at shops and stuff. I'll stay in the theater district. You two could get a nice lunch all to yourselves."

"I don't know…" LeRoy started, but Rachel's pout stopped him.

"I'm fifteen now," Rachel said. "I just want to see a couple of things alone. I'm going to be living here by myself in less than three years."

Hiram put a hand to his heart dramatically which caused Rachel to roll her eyes. The men then had a silent conversation and Rachel watched their expressions and smiled when she knew she had gotten her way.

"Ok, sweetheart," LeRoy said. "But keep your phone where you can reach and make sure you can hear it. And don't go outside the theater district. Stay close to Times Square."

"Don't talk to anyone," Hiram continued.

"Unless you see Barbra Streisand and then we expect you to bring her back to the hotel," LeRoy said.

"Dads," Rachel said with teenage disdain.

"Be careful," Hiram said seriously.

"I will," she smiled. "And you two enjoy the time to yourselves."

"Thank you," LeRoy bowed slightly.

They parted ways half an hour later and Rachel set out after bundling up and being given extra money by her fathers. She carried a messenger bag with a folder in it and knew it would be a good place to story any purchases so that she didn't have to carry a bunch of bags. They gave her last minute instructions all the way down the hallway and she had never been more grateful for elevator doors to close in her life.

It was too early to go to her planned destination so Rachel did spend some time in the going to different shops and getting souvenirs. Her fathers would tell her they were always the same, but she didn't care. And if she looked in the right places she knew she could find stuff she didn't have. She bought up a ton of _Wounded Heart_ memorabilia and when she finally decided it was time, she headed towards the theater that was housing that show. She knew she couldn't get in, but she sweet talked the guy at the stage door into giving her a playbill. The show would be ending soon and a crowd was already starting to form. People who didn't actually have tickets lined the barrier and Rachel knew the crowd would be huge as everyone was going to try and get an autograph from Shelby.

If she comes out. Oh god, Rachel hadn't even thought of that. What if Shelby didn't go to the stage door after the matinee? She might only do it after evening performances. What if there was an understudy that day? Rachel's mind raced with possibilities she hadn't planned for when suddenly the door opened and out walked Shelby's young co-star. The girl was 19 and playing 14 in the show about a girl who is being abused before she's rescued and taken in by the teacher who cares enough to step up and protect her. Shelby played the teacher, of course. It was heavy material for a musical, but the songs were amazing and acting unchallenged. Shelby and her young co-star had both taken home Tonys for their portrayals. It was a story of pain and love and longing and ultimately hope. Rachel adored it.

Allison Young, the co-star, made her way around the barrier signing and taking pictures. She signed Rachel's playbill and smiled at the girl staring at her in awe. This girl had made it on Broadway at the age of 19. Rachel knew she could do it too.

Allison was soon gone and the waiting started again. The guard assured everyone that Shelby would be coming out and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart started to race and she could hear the pounding in her ears. She hoped she appeared stronger and more put together than she felt. She had important questions for this woman, but she wasn't sure if she could ask them while standing on legs made of jello.

It was another ten minutes before Shelby appeared. There was a roar in the crowd and Rachel felt herself being pushed up against the barrier as people tried to get closer. Her hands were trembling as she held the playbill. It was a slow progression, but it was happening. Her mother would soon be close enough to touch. Not that she would, but it made Rachel smile.

Shelby smiled as the flashes started and the people cheered. She'd come out of the stage door many times and she was glad it still felt so cool. She nodded graciously and thanked people for coming and signed item after item. She enjoyed this, but it was such a blur sometimes. The security guards wanted her to go as quickly as possible and the fans all wanted pictures and to get to talk to her. It was a fine balance to try and master.

Rachel forced herself to keep her head up as Shelby approached. This would be easy and thrilling in a completely different way if Rachel thought she was just meeting her idol. But this was so much more than that. This was her mother.

"Hi," Rachel said in a voice barely above a whisper when Shelby stood in front of her and signed the playbill in her hand.

"Hello," Shelby said brightly. She sometimes didn't even register people's faces, but she couldn't look away once she glanced down at this girl. Her demeanor changed and her face lost some of its automatic, camera ready smile. There was something so… familiar about this girl.

Rachel's eyes started to tear and she tried to get her mouth to say something. She had to do this now. It didn't help that Shelby Corcoran was staring back at her so intently. She'd dreamed of this moment, in more ways than one, countless times and now nothing was going according to the script. Say something, Rachel!

"Miss Corcoran," Rachel finally managed.

"Yes?" Shelby said. She leaned down so she could be at eye level with this girl who had captured her attention. People were snapping pictures and smiling and saying aw at how Shelby was taking her time with this young, intimidated fan. It was just one more reason to love her.

Rachel grasped onto the barrier and pulled herself forward some. She had so much to say and now she didn't think she could get anything more than a whisper. Shelby stayed put and let the girl whisper into her ear.

"I'm Rachel Berry. I'm your daughter."

**A/N – Ok, guys, please tell me what you think. Your reviews mean so much to me. I hope you all like this one. There will be more chapters to come. But please, please review. Thanks! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Wow! Thank you so much for all of the reviews and the alert notices. You guys really are great. I appreciate your support and feedback so much. I'm glad that so many people seem to like the way I've framed this particular story and I hope I can keep meeting your expectations. Thank you.**

**Just a note on where I got the name **_**Wounded Heart**_** from. That's the name I gave to the show Shelby is currently starring in. There's a song called Wounded Heart by a singer named Jude Johnstone. The song has nothing to do with what I said the plot of the musical was about, but I adore the song and thought the title would work well. Check Jude Johnstone out. She's wonderful. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Shelby's breath caught in her throat and she moved back some so she could look at the girl properly. Tears formed in her green eyes as she looked at the dark ones of the little baby she'd had years ago. She wanted to touch her. Shelby wanted to pull the girl to her and hold her, but they were stuck in this staring match with a metal barrier between them and a hundred more people waiting for an autograph. Shelby could hear people start to whisper the longer she stood there. The camera flashes that had been so incessant were slowing and Shelby could tell that everyone was staring at them. She had to do something or she was going to lose it. Because right now she wanted nothing more than to scoop that child up, but she did not want a crowd of people watching at the same time.

Shelby looked down and saw that one of Rachel's hands was clutching the barrier and she reached out, tentatively at first, and placed her own hand on top. It was an electric feeling.

"Can you wait right here?" Shelby asked. She was still leaning down so she was at eye level with the girl. "Please?"

Rachel nodded. She was so focused on Shelby's thumb which was rubbing a soothing pattern on her hand that she almost didn't hear the question.

"Ok," Shelby smiled in relief. "Don't move."

Shelby finally straightened and stepped away from the girl. Rachel watched as Shelby put her camera ready smile back in place and started going down the line again. The top of her hand was cold because it had lost the contact with her mother's.

Shelby's heart was racing as she worked her way down the line of people. It seemed like there were so many more than usual, but she knew that was just because she was trying to rush. The intensity of Rachel's words rang in her ear and Shelby tried to keep her feelings in check. She was over the moon in that moment.

But a sudden voice of reason and logic flashed in her mind. What if the girl was lying? What if she was trying to get something out of her? Shelby turned and looked back the girl who was a younger version of herself and offered an encouraging smile. No one knew about the surrogacy except Hiram and LeRoy. The doctors and nurses probably didn't even remember or care, and even if they did there were patient confidentiality laws. The adoption paperwork and legal files were sealed. There's no way some random kid could know. Still, Shelby vowed to not get too far ahead of herself until she was sure.

Rachel watched Shelby's every move as her mother worked the crowd. She still had one hand clutching the railing and one hand holding the now-signed playbill. Rachel took a second to think like a fan and realize how cool that was, even if she hadn't seen the show.

Rachel stood up a little bit straighter when she saw how poised and together Shelby was. She had wanted to emulate this woman for years and she wanted her mother to think highly of her. That was actually a real and deep worry for Rachel. She wasn't well-liked at school and never had been. She was never pretty enough to tall enough or popular enough or anything enough. Most kids even liked to make fun of her talent. The kids in her glee club liked her well enough when it suited them. She fawned all over Finn, but he always just seemed confused.

Rachel suddenly felt self-conscious as she watched Shelby work. Her mom was dressed in jeans and boots with a long coat and a hat because of the cold. Rachel had argued with her dads that she wasn't too cold for one of her traditional skirts because of the knee socks she wore. Plus she would have a sweater on and a jacket and hat. What if Shelby thought her animal sweaters were ugly or silly or childish like everyone else did? They made Rachel smile and she usually tried to brush off what everyone else thought, though she wasn't always successful. She shivered against the cold that she was really starting to feel after having been standing there so long and hoped her mother wouldn't care what she was wearing.

Shelby got to the end of the line and finally declared that she had to go when people kept trying to hand her just one more thing to sign. She smiled for a couple more pictures and thanked everyone again and started to walk back towards the stage door. She knew she had to leave because as long as she stayed there, people would linger around. She figured it would probably start a conversation when people saw that she was inviting Rachel backstage, but she didn't care at this point. She couldn't stay away from the girl any longer.

Shelby looked at Rachel and saw that the girl hadn't budged an inch from her spot and that she was watching her with wide, attentive eyes. Shelby waved her over to go around the barrier and to the stage door. Rachel smiled and moved quickly and Shelby whispered that it was ok to the security guard who was looking at her questioningly. Shelby waited at the door and let the girl go in before her.

"Wow," Rachel whispered when she entered the building and looked around. She was backstage and a real live Broadway theater! She stopped in the doorway and tried to take it all in and only started to move again when Shelby put a hand on her back to guide her forward.

"Hey, I didn't think you were hanging around between shows today," Marcus, a dresser, said as they passed.

"I've got to get something from my dressing room," Shelby said as they continued their walk.

"Who's your friend?" he asked.

"A friend," Shelby answered kindly. "Aren't you going to be late?" She knew he had plans for the afternoon.

"Yeah, but that's nothing new," Marcus said. "See you later."

"Bye," Shelby called out as she opened her dressing room door and let Rachel in. She made sure to lock it behind her. She stood back for a second and watched Rachel look around.

Rachel could not keep the smile off her face at being back in this room. She wanted to see every picture and look at every note that was taped to walls. But she finally settled on turning to look at her mother. Shelby was removing her hat and coat and gestured that Rachel could do the same if she wanted. The girl did so and let Shelby hang them up.

They stared at each other for a few moments as both tried to form the right words to say. Rachel looked nervous and though Shelby just had the shock of her life, she took the lead on this.

"Rachel," Shelby said. "Um, how do you- when did you?" Some lead, Shelby.

"I found out last weekend," Rachel said.

"Oh," Shelby nodded. "How?" Her voice caught in her throat and tears formed in her eyes. It was really starting to hit her and she was just figuring out how to deal with it, unlike Rachel who'd been sorting out her emotions all week. "Did they tell you?"

"No," Rachel said. "I've always wanted to know who my mom was; I've just never been able to ask. I don't want you to think I'm some crazy kid. My dads are Hiram and LeRoy Berry and I'm Rachel Barbra Berry and-"

"That was my idea," Shelby cut in. "Barbra," she clarified when Rachel looked at her quizzically. "Barbra Streisand is my idol and I used to sing her songs to you and when they told me they wanted to name you Rachel and I joked and said your middle name should be Barbra. I was so shocked when they did it."

"She's my idol too," Rachel said. "And you," she added shyly.

"Oh," Shelby's put a hand to her head and smiled around her tears. "You like Broadway?"

"Broadway is everything," Rachel said confidently. "And you're the best. I hope I can be half as good one day."

"I, uhh," Shelby nodded. "You sing?"

Rachel nodded and smiled. "Like you."

Shelby had to sit down and try and gather herself. She wiped at some of her tears and grabbed for a tissue to wipe her nose. "I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "You're so beautiful."

Rachel's own eyes filled with tears as she sat down in a chair opposite the couch her mother was sitting on. She pulled it closer and set her messenger bag on her lap.

"If you didn't ask your dads, how did you find out?" Shelby finally asked.

"My dads were out and I found a small lock box with all of the information in it," Rachel continued. "I wasn't snooping or anything, but there it was. I found these." Rachel pulled out the five pictures and handed them to Shelby.

"I have these pictures," Shelby said with glistening eyes as she looked at Rachel. "They're all framed in the bedroom in my apartment."

"Really?" Rachel asked meekly. "After I saw the contract I was worried that you might not want to meet me. I couldn't even tell my dads where I was going yet."

"I have always wanted to know you, Rachel," Shelby said. "I have always wanted to be your mom."

"Then why?" Rachel was crying. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Shelby said honestly. "In the beginning of the pregnancy it was to protect your dads. They wanted you so much. Then it was just how it was."

"Were they mean to you?" Rachel asked.

"Oh no, Rachel. No," Shelby said. "I adored your fathers. They were the two kindest men I'd ever met. And they loved me."

"Then why didn't anyone change it?" Rachel asked. "Why didn't anyone fight it?"

"I don't know," Shelby said. "But I have always loved you so much."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

Shelby nodded again because renewed tears were making it harder for her to talk. But she couldn't stop herself from finally doing what she hadn't been able to do in fifteen years; hold her child. Shelby set the pictures to the side and got to her feet and stood Rachel up. Rachel melted into Shelby's hug and they both started to cry even harder, but it was what they both needed in this moment. The whys and the demand for answers and the emotions that would come with this discovery could all wait until after this first hug between mother and daughter.

They stayed that way for a minute or more before Rachel's previous words finally hit her. She pulled back and looked down at Rachel who was doing her best to wipe her tears away.

"You didn't tell your dads where you were going?" Shelby asked and Rachel shook her head. "Oh my god, Rachel, did you come to New York by yourself? Do they know you're gone? Are they looking for you? Where's your phone? You need to call them."

"I didn't come to New York alone," Rachel said. "They're here. I just didn't tell them that I was coming to find you. We came to New York for the weekend."

"For your birthday?" Shelby asked. "Happy birthday!" she added when Rachel nodded.

"Thank you," Rachel replied with a wide smile.

"Have you been to New York before?" Shelby asked. "Do you still live in Lima?"

"Yes, we still live in Lima and yes I've been here before," Rachel answered. "But we always come during the summer. This trip was a surprise. My dad said he tried to get tickets to your show but that it was sold out. I'm dying to see it."

"Well don't worry about that," Shelby said. "I'll get you tickets."

"Really?" Rachel asked brightly. "Can you do that?"

"Yeah," Shelby chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I can work something out."

Shelby watched as Rachel brightened even more and she didn't realize it could feel this wonderful to be able to that kind of smile on your child's face. But she knew the moment couldn't last. Reality was going to come back to them any second now because they needed to call Hiram and LeRoy. Shelby was worried because she had no idea how it would go. She didn't know if they would be angry or hurt or what?

"Rachel," Shelby said as she picked up the girl's pictures and handed them back. "We need to call your dads."

"I know," Rachel said. Rachel too had thought about how to have this conversation. She couldn't just show back up at the hotel with her newly discovered mother in tow, but she wasn't sure how to make that phone call either. This was the subject the three of them had danced around her entire life, but they couldn't do that anymore.

Rachel sat back down in the chair and pulled out her cell phone and unlocked it. Shelby sat down opposite her and smiled encouragingly. She was kind of anxious to see the men who had meant so much to her during the pregnancy. She often wondered how they were doing.

"Hi, Daddy," Rachel said when LeRoy answered the phone. "Did you have a nice lunch? Yeah, I've had a good day too," she said after a pause.

"What are you up to now?" LeRoy asked. He thought maybe he and Hiram could go and meet her wherever she was. They should have known their daughter wouldn't drag herself away from Broadway early to come back to the hotel.

"Daddy, I need to tell you something," Rachel said seriously.

"Oh," LeRoy recognized her change in tone. "What's going on, sweetheart?" He looked over at Hiram who was now focused on the conversation.

"I um- I. I…"

"Rachel?" LeRoy stood up and looked worried. "Is something the matter? Are you in trouble?"

"Maybe," Rachel answered meekly; she wasn't quite sure how much trouble she might be in after this.

"Talk to me," LeRoy ordered. "What's going on?" He was starting to pace.

"Daddy, I… Um." Shelby reached out and gently took the phone from Rachel and put it to her ear in time to hear LeRoy ask what was wrong again.

"LeRoy," Shelby said.

LeRoy's eyes widened in shock and he stopped pacing and had to sit in the closest chair to him. Hiram was at his side in an instant. "LeRoy, tell me what's wrong." Not getting an answer, Hiram took the phone and asked, "Rachel?"

"Hi, Hiram," Shelby said.

"Shelby?"

"Yeah," Shelby said. "We need to talk."

Hiram nodded and sank into a nearby chair. He put the phone on speaker so both he and LeRoy could hear it.

"Is she there with you?" Hiram asked. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah," Shelby said with a glance over at Rachel. "She was waiting at the stage door after my show."

"But how does she know?" LeRoy asked.

"Do you think we should maybe meet somewhere?" Shelby asked. "And not do this over the phone?"

"Of- of course," Hiram said.

"Just come here to the hotel," LeRoy said. They didn't need to be sitting at some restaurant during this.

"Ok," Shelby said. "We'll be there in a little bit."

"Were they mad?" Rachel asked after Shelby hung up the phone and handed it back to her.

"They're shocked," Shelby said.

"So was I," Rachel said as she got her hat and jacket on.

"Me too," Shelby agreed.

The cab ride to the hotel only took a few minutes, but it was easier than walking back. And warmer. Rachel led her to the elevators and Shelby could tell the girl was getting more and more apprehensive the closer they got to the room. Shelby didn't really know what to say because she didn't know what type of reactions they were about to face either, but still, she wished she knew some way to help Rachel calm down.

When they reached the room, Rachel slipped the key card into the handle and then pushed the door open slightly and peeked her head in. "Dad? Daddy?"

"Rach?" Hiram said as he started walking towards the door. "Come on in, sweetheart."

Rachel opened the door fully and stepped past Hiram and into the room. Shelby stopped at the entryway and looked at Hiram. He looked older, but just as handsome. She remembered how he usually had a sly comment or a glint in his eye, but right now he was looking her over with a serious expression.

"Shelby," he greeted.

"Hello, Hiram," Shelby said.

"Come in," he stepped back so she could get past him.

"Thanks. Hello, LeRoy," she said when she got into the sitting room part of the suite and smiled at the man who was hugging his daughter. He'd always been the more serious one and so it stood to reason that his look was darker than Hiram's had been.

"Hi, Shelby," LeRoy said. "It's been a long time."

"Yes," Shelby agreed.

"Don't be mad at her," Rachel said as she stepped back so she could see everyone. "She didn't know I was going to show up and tell her who I was. She was just as shocked as you two are."

The men shared a glance and knew Rachel was right. They had no business directing any sort of self-righteous anger at Shelby as if she had somehow dropped this on them on purpose.

"We're not mad," Hiram said. "Just shocked."

"And concerned," LeRoy added. "Are you ok?" He and Hiram sat on the couch and Shelby and Rachel pulled out chairs from the table to sit in.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I think."

"How did you even find out?" Hiram asked.

"That box on the top shelf in the basement," Rachel said.

"It's locked," LeRoy said.

"Not when it falls," Rachel shrugged. "It popped open."

"What were you even doing down there?" LeRoy asked.

"Getting my suitcases," Rachel answered. "You put them so high up and I had to climb to reach them."

"They're that high for a reason," LeRoy gave her a pointed look.

"And one of them was stuck," Rachel ignored the silent reprimand. "So I had to pull on it and then I fell when it came loose. I grabbed onto that box to try and hold on but it fell too. I kept these," Rachel said as she pulled out the pictures.

Hiram smiled at the pictures when Rachel passed them to him. "I haven't seen these in years. We never did find what happened to that baby blanket, did we LeRoy?"

"I have it," Shelby cut in. "I kept it. A nurse took her back to the nursery and left the blanket and I, I couldn't leave it."

Tears had formed in Rachel's eyes again and LeRoy and Hiram looked at Shelby with soft expressions.

"I'm glad you still have it," LeRoy said. Hiram nodded.

Shelby nodded as well, but only because she couldn't say anything else at the moment. Her tears had returned and she was doing her best to keep them at bay, but it wasn't working. LeRoy got to his feet and enveloped Shelby in a hug. They really had loved her. The contract became one of those things they never really talked about after it was signed so early on. They were getting the baby and Shelby was leaving town. That's how it was always going to be. If she was staying in town, they probably would have changed it by the end. But no one wanted to rock the boat.

Rachel got up and joined them and she wrapped an arm around Shelby while LeRoy wrapped his own around her. Hiram joined them too and kissed Shelby lightly on the head. Those two men had been more of a family to her in the year they'd known each other before and during the pregnancy than her own parents ever had. And as successful as she was, Shelby had never really found that connection with anyone else. Yeah, she had plenty of friends and romances here and there, but part of her heart had remained right there in Lima, Ohio with the Berrys.

When the moment had passed they each took their seats again, but it was like the ice had been broken. The familiarity between the adults was allowed to seep back in and it all helped to put Rachel at ease.

"Do you have any questions, sweetheart?" Hiram asked Rachel.

"I have a lot of questions," Rachel said and each adult seemed to braces themselves. "But, I don't know that I'm ready to ask any yet. This whole week has been weighted down in what ifs and now that I know that Shelby didn't turn me away and you guys aren't angry, I can think a little bit better. Can you give me a couple days?"

"Of course," LeRoy answered and the other two nodded.

"Well wait, I do have one question," Rachel said. "What happens now?"

"That's something we're all going to have to talk about," Hiram said. "But obviously we won't keep that contract. We'll have it legally terminated."

"We can work out whatever type of relationship you want," Shelby said.

"We'll make it work for what's best for you," LeRoy said. "We'll explain everything to you and there won't be anymore secrets, ok?"

Rachel nodded, satisfied with that. She was a smart girl; she knew that nothing would be solved right now. But she had gotten what she wanted. She'd met her mom and the woman wanted her. And her dads were ok.

"Maybe we can all do dinner tonight," Hiram suggested. "On Shelby, of course." He sent a mischievous smirk her way.

"I'd love to, but I have a show," Shelby said.

"Oh!" Rachel exclaimed and stood up from her chair. "Shelby said she could get us tickets to see _Wounded Heart_. Can we go and see that tonight?"

"If that's ok with Shelby, I guess," LeRoy said.

"Absolutely," Shelby said. "I've just got to make a call."

Shelby stood up to leave the room so she could use her phone, but Rachel stopped her before she could get to the door.

"You're coming back, right?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, I'll be right back in," Shelby assured her. Rachel smiled, relieved.

When Shelby was out in the hall and the door was shut, Rachel turned back and looked at her dads and hung her head a bit. "Are you mad?"

They both let out a long sigh, but Hiram stepped forward and pulled her close. "No," he told her. "But we're shocked."

"We wish you would have come to us and told us what you found out," LeRoy said.

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings," Rachel said. "I've never wanted to hurt your feelings. You're my parents and I love you both so much. I didn't want you to think that I wanted a mom over you. But I have always wanted to know."

"We know," Hiram said. "And we probably should have told you sooner."

"Like when you realized that she was my idol?" Rachel asked.

"But we didn't want to lose you either," Hiram said. "Your mom is a big Broadway star and you love Broadway more than anything. We can't compete with that."

"I don't love Broadway more than I love you," Rachel said. "But I do want to know her. Please don't take her away now."

"We won't do that, we promise," LeRoy said. "Shelby has always been a piece of our family and as long as you want here there, she can be in your life."

"How? Can she be my mom?"

A knock at the door interrupted them. "How about we all sit down and talk about that later, ok?" Hiram said as LeRoy went to answer it.

"You've all got tickets for the show this evening," Shelby said when she stepped back into the room.

"Thank you so much!" Rachel enthused. "What time do you have to be at the theater? Can I go with you?"

"Yeah, if-"

"Can I see your apartment too?" Rachel plowed on ahead. "We have to leave Monday. Oh no, we have to leave Monday. But what happens then?"

"Slow down, Rach," LeRoy said. "If it's ok with Shelby, you can go to the theater before the show."

"That's fine," Shelby smiled at Rachel.

"But you have to listen to her and not be in the way," LeRoy instructed. "People are working there."

"I won't bother anyone," Rachel promised.

"And of course you can see my apartment," Shelby said. "You can even stay the night one night while you're here." She couldn't help but throw out the invitation. Rachel's mouth fell open and Shelby chanced a look at LeRoy and Hiram who were sending her mock glares. They knew that Shelby knew what she was doing; there was no way they could say no to the look on Rachel's face.

"Sure," LeRoy said. "How about you stay tonight after the show and we can meet up tomorrow and start to work out some details?"

"Wonderful," Shelby said.

"Thank you!" Rachel hugged LeRoy tightly.

"Will you wait for me?" Rachel asked Shelby. "I've got to get ready."

"Sure," Shelby said. Rachel was off like a flash into her room to get showered and changed.

"It's good to see you again, Shelby," LeRoy said sincerely when the three of them were alone. "And we're sorry about the way all of this happened."

"Don't worry about it," Shelby said. "And it's great to see you guys too. I think about you a lot and always hope that you're all doing ok."

"And we've been keeping up with you," Hiram said. "Tony Award Winner, staring in a Pulitzer Prize winning musical. Our little Shelby." She shook her head and laughed at him. "Seriously though, we've always been proud."

"Thank you," Shelby said.

They caught up for a few minutes as Hiram made some coffee and then they sat down at the table together.

"Listen," LeRoy started. "There's bound to be a lot that gets brought up when Rachel gets over the high of you being you and starts to ask her questions. We were just trying to do what's right with the contract."

"I know that," Shelby said. "I've wanted to know her since the moment I left the hospital, but I never once thought you guys were trying to hurt me. Even in that year that we met and I got pregnant, things changed in ways none of us could have foreseen."

"Yeah."

"And I was going to seek her out when she turned 18," Shelby said. "I was always confident that you guys would be supportive of that."

"We would have been," Hiram said. "And you probably wouldn't have had to look far. She's going to be right here in New York City when she turns 18. She's known Broadway is her goal since she was about two-years-old."

Shelby couldn't help but smile. That sounded so familiar. "How is she?"

"She's phenomenal," LeRoy said. "And I'm not just saying that as a father. Get her to sing to you later. You'll be blown away."

"I look forward to it," Shelby said.

"There is one thing you need to keep in mind about this evening," Hiram said.

"What's that?" Shelby asked.

"You've got to understand the way Rachel operates," he answered. "Yeah, she's dealing with you being her mom and she's extremely excited about that, but I guarantee you, she's your biggest fan. She already met her mom and now she's about to get to go spend time backstage with the Shelby Corcoran and see her musical which she's been dying to see for months and then go see her apartment. She's beside herself. I can tell that she's trying, but I don't think she's really had the chance to separate the two of you in her mind yet."

"But I'm still just plain old Shelby. We were able to talk a bit earlier and we were backstage," the woman told them. "That went ok. She'll probably get bored with me by the end of the night."

"Don't count on it," LeRoy said. "She stole my credit card one time to pay for an autographed poster of you she won on eBay. It's framed on the wall on her room."

Shelby couldn't stop her laugh. "How much was it? And are you sure it was real?"

"Three hundred dollars!" LeRoy exclaimed and Shelby laughed harder. "It better have been real!"

"I'm touched," Shelby joked with them.

"You're expensive," LeRoy said.

"She took her grounding like Joan of Arc," Hiram said. "She kept her head held high like she was a martyr being led to the gallows when we sent her to her room. Like we were punishing her for trying to feed the masses. Her only defense was that you were worth it."

"I'll write you a check," Shelby said, still laughing.

"Just don't be afraid to rein her in a little bit tonight if you have to," LeRoy said. "She will promise to sit there quietly and not bother anyone, but she just simply doesn't have it in her. Don't let her get in the way."

"She'll be fine," Shelby said. "The fan stuff will probably wear off pretty quickly the longer she's around me."

Just then the door the Rachel's room swung open and the girl came out in sweats with wet hair fresh from the shower. She was holding her playbill from that afternoon. She smiled at Shelby, but when straight for her dads.

"I forgot to show you, look! Shelby and Allison Young signed it!" Rachel said. "I need to get it framed." She looked over at Shelby and smiled and the woman returned it with an adoring one of her own.

"That's very cool," LeRoy said to Rachel who was back to looking at the playbill in her hand.

Both men looked over at Shelby and smirked as Rachel disappeared back into her room.

"I'm just saying," Hiram said, "make sure you know where both your Tonys are in the morning."

Shelby's smile never faded. At this point she'd probably give them both to the girl if she wanted.

**A/N – Thanks for reading everyone. Please leave me a review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Thank you all so much for the reviews and notes and alerts and everything. I'm glad you all like this one. I'm enjoying writing it. Here is the next chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks!**

**In other news, I got a ticket to see Barbra Streisand in concert. I got a ticket to see Barbra Streisand in concert! I'm so excited. I cannot wait until October. I've got tickets to see Idina twice this summer too. It's going to be amazing. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Rachel finished getting ready for the show that night in record speed and her fathers were duly impressed. When Hiram asked why she couldn't get ready that quickly at home, Rachel shushed him and followed Shelby out of the room. Rachel didn't want to miss a moment with Shelby, especially at the theater. She'd thrown together an overnight bag so quickly she wasn't really sure she had everything she needed.

Shelby took them to a small café that was a favorite of hers. They needed to eat before the show and she knew they were quick because she was going to have to get back soon. Rachel ordered the same thing Shelby did because she said it sounded good.

"How's your family, Shelby?" LeRoy asked once they had their meals.

"About the same," Shelby said. "Nothing ever changes. My parents still live in Indiana and I don't see them that often."

That had been the case when she was pregnant too. Shelby had graduated high school at 17 and taken off for New York City and NYU. She'd graduated at twenty-one with close to $12 in her pocket and nowhere to live. Going home had been a necessary evil at the time. She'd been let go from a job for dumping a pitcher of beer on a customer when he tried to kiss her. She'd auditioned and looked for another waitressing job until the day she boarded a bus to take her back home. She just need a few months and some more money and she'd be back. All of her professors had gushed over how talented she was, but nothing had paid off yet. The fickle nature of her chosen business wore on her and she needed a break. She'd work and save until the end of the year and then she'd be back in New York.

Life with her parents was just as hard as it had ever been. They didn't understand Shelby and she didn't understand them. According to them, she was wasting her time and money on a pipe dream. She accused them of never travelling outside of the ten miles around their house. They wouldn't know a dream if it came up and slapped them in the face, she'd once told them.

She hadn't saved as much as she wanted by the end of the year, but she had to get out of there. She was reading through the paper one day when she saw the advertisement for a surrogate. Her eyes had bulged out when she saw how much they were willing to pay. She could live in New York City off of that money for over two years. That would give her a chance to audition and work and save. She'd made the call without hesitation. That was her ticket out of the Midwest for good. The reality of a baby hadn't even really occurred to her until she'd met with the men and started the application process.

Could she give up a baby? She was twenty-one; she wasn't ready for a baby. Plus she didn't have any experience with them. She was an only child and only had a few distant cousins. She'd babysat a few times as a teenager, but those kids were normally older. And she liked Hiram and LeRoy immediately. They were everything her parents weren't. They were warm and loving and she knew they'd be great with a baby. She signed the contract with little hesitation.

And then she heard a heartbeat. And then the baby kicked. And then they found out she was a little girl. Shelby's heart had ached.

"Why not?" Rachel asked. "Don't they ever come and see your shows?"

"Sometimes," Shelby shrugged. "They came when it first opened. They don't really like New York."

"What?" Rachel asked, stunned. Who didn't like New York?

"We're just very different," Shelby told her.

"But-"

"How long do you think your run in this show will last?" Hiram asked, cutting Rachel off.

"I'm not sure," Shelby sent him a small smile. "I hadn't really thought much about it. I'll go at least a year."

"But what would you do then?" Rachel asked. She couldn't quite fathom being in an amazing show and then deciding to leave it.

"I don't know," Shelby said. "Take a break. Work on something else. There are always possibilities."

"You could come to Lima and see me," Rachel said. She'd blurted it out so quickly that she wasn't really sure if she'd actually said it. "If you want, I mean. You don't have to."

"That would be my very first choice of places to visit," Shelby told her with a gentle smile. "I want to take a look of that poster you have on your bedroom wall."

Rachel flushed red and she looked over at LeRoy and whined, "Daddy!"

"Sorry, Rach," LeRoy said with a low chuckle. "You know how much I love that story."

Rachel let out an indignant huff as she took another bite of her sandwich.

There were a few fans hovering by the stage door as Shelby and Rachel approached. Shelby took some time to sign a few things and take a few pictures before she let Rachel inside once more. Rachel's awe was the same as it had been before and, again, Shelby had to guide her to move forward. There were more people around now and, to Rachel, it felt like there was an electric buzz of excitement that came from every corner of the theater. She already anticipated this being one of the greatest nights of her life.

"Hey, Shelby," Marcus appeared again. "You brought your friend back."

"Yeah," Shelby answered. "She's going to watch the show tonight and so I thought I would bring her along early to let her see what goes on backstage."

"Sounds like fun," Marcus joked, but Rachel missed his sarcasm.

"Everything looks so magical," Rachel said.

Shelby gave Marcus a pointed look that warned him not to burst Rachel's bubble. He'd been doing this so long, being backstage at a Broadway theater normal and commonplace. He understood and nodded at Shelby.

"It is," he agreed with her. "If you've got a minute, I'll show you what I do."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Sure, come on," Marcus said.

"Give us a second to take our jackets off," Shelby said. "We'll find you in a bit later."

"Sounds good," Marcus was agreeable.

He left them as Shelby led the way towards her dressing room. A voice called out and stopped them as they passed an open room.

"Hey, Shelby," Allison Young yelled from her dressing room.

"Hi, Ali," Shelby stopped and poked her head in and saw her young co-star along with some of the other younger actors in the show. "What's going on?"

"We're just making plans for later," Allison answered. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, everyone this is Rachel Berry. She's a… family friend," Shelby finally finished and Rachel looked up at her. "She's never seen the show, but she'll be watching tonight. I'm just showing her around backstage. Rachel, this is-"

"Allison Young," Rachel finished. She stepped confidently into the room and held her hand out for the other girl to shake. "I'm a huge fan of yours."

"Thanks," Allison said sweetly and returned the handshake while a couple of the others did their best not to snicker. Allison sized Rachel up in an effort to gauge how old she was. Rachel didn't have on one of her normal skirts, but a regular dress and jacket. Ali wasn't quite sure what to make of the red headband in her hair though. "Listen, we're all going out after the show if you want to join us."

It took Rachel a moment to try and wrap her head around the fact that she'd just been invited to hang out with people on Broadway and while she was working to formulate a response, her mother stepped in and spoke up for her.

"No, I'm afraid she can't this time," Shelby said.

"You can come too, Shelby," Allison said. It's not like it would be the first time the cast had gone out after a show.

"Not tonight," Shelby said. Allison may only be nineteen, but Shelby knew firsthand how much that girl could drink. Not that she had any room to talk, she'd been the same way when she was nineteen. The only difference was she had been a nobody and Allison was up and coming and quite well known in the theater community. Rachel might want to come and make her home on Broadway, but Shelby wasn't ready to expose her to anything more than the backstage magic yet. All night parties and hung over performances could come later.

"Are you sure?" Allison asked.

"Yep," Shelby said. "Rain check, alright?"

"Sure," Allison said. "Enjoy the show, Rachel."

"I'm sure I will," Rachel said with a huge smile.

Shelby tugged on Rachel's arm and they left the room and finally made it to Shelby's dressing room. Rachel looked around more thoroughly this time to see what type of pictures her mother had up. There were snapshots stuck in the side of the mirror. There were notes from fans and knick knacks everywhere and a fresh boutique of flowers. Shelby shrugged off her jacket and Rachel did the same.

"I've got a few minutes before I have to start getting ready," Shelby said. "So I can give you a tour and then we'll come back here, ok?"

"Ok," Rachel answered and then was silent for a few moments. "Shelby?"

"Yeah?"

"I understand and all, but I was just wondering… Are you always going to introduce me as a family friend?"

Shelby sighed and took Rachel by the hand and had her sit down on the couch. She took a seat next to the girl and waited for Rachel to meet her gaze.

"For the time being, yes," Shelby answered her question. She watched as Rachel deflated even though she was trying to hide it. "Rachel, this is all so brand new and I'm absolutely thrilled that you are here and that I can get to know you. But I want to keep that between us for the time being. It would take all of about five minutes from the moment I introduce you to someone as my daughter for it to get to the press. I want to get to know you in our own time and to be able to do so privately. I don't want you to be hounded by reporters. I want us to be secure in each other and our relationship before anyone else starts to intrude on it. It's not fair to you or me or your dads."

"I understand," Rachel said. "I just- I'm not sure-"

"What?" Shelby asked kindly.

"I just want to know how I'm supposed to think of you," Rachel said. "I need to know now before I end up being wrong."

"How do you want to think of me?" Shelby asked.

"As my mom," Rachel answered right away. "But if that's not what you want, I have to change how I think about it."

"No," Shelby said quickly. "Don't change anything. You can think of me as your mom. I want you to think that."

"Ok," Rachel gave her a relieved smile. "And I won't mind you calling me your family friend for however long. As long as we know, right?"

"Right," Shelby said. "Now come on, let's take a tour."

Rachel had soaked up every piece of information Shelby was telling her as the woman walked her around the theater. She tried to remember the names of every person she was introduced to and what their jobs were. Everyone was more than willing to talk to Rachel and show her what they did. She felt tears prick in her eyes when they walked out onto the stage. The curtains were open and the hall was empty, but this was so cool.

"Your seats are right there," Shelby pointed to the third row.

"How did you get such good seats for the day of the performance?" Rachel asked. "I know you're the star and all, but what if someone had already purchased those seats?"

There are a few seats around the theater that are held for guests of the cast and crew. If no one wants them, they'll sell them. Sometimes you can get really good seats the day of the show if you visit the box office. If they don't sell, someone will normally call a friend or something so they can come and fill the seat so nothing it empty."

"That's pretty cool," Rachel said. She needed to move to New York now so she could be a seat filler at Broadway shows.

The main spotlight suddenly filled the stage and Rachel blinked at the brightness, but Shelby rolled her eyes and looked up at the back of the hall.

"Thanks, Chuck," Shelby yelled out.

"No problem," a voice called back. He had to go through his lighting checks and didn't really matter who was on stage. People were always walking around.

Rachel's eyes adjusted and she stood up straighter. Shelby watched as Rachel become comfortable with the light and really started to own it. She thought back to what Hiram and LeRoy had said earlier and she couldn't wait to hear Rachel sing.

The spotlight moved off of them and more lights came up around the stage as Shelby checked her watch. "I've got to start getting ready."

Rachel was happy to watch Shelby working on her hair and make-up. She couldn't sit still while she did it though. She moved all about the room, picking up small items or studying pictures. She even read the card on the flowers that were in the room. 'Just because' was the note and it was signed by someone named Brian.

"Who's Brian?" Rachel asked.

"A good friend of mine," Shelby said.

"Are you dating him?" Rachel asked. Shelby coughed on her sip of water at the bluntness of the question.

"Not anymore," Shelby said. "We dated for a while and then called it off. We're still good friends though."

"He still sends you flowers even though you're not dating?" Rachel asked. "It sounds like he still likes you."

"It's complicated," Shelby said.

"Oh," Rachel nodded and looked back at Shelby who had returned to getting ready. Rachel watched with a small smile as Shelby transformed into her character; the one Rachel had seen in countless pictures and in her imagination as she listened to the cast recording over and over again. Shelby was stunning.

Shelby smiled slightly when she caught Rachel staring and she turned around in her chair to look at her. "How do I look?"

"Wonderful," Rachel answered.

"Thank you," Shelby said.

A knock at the door broke up their moment and Marcus entered with Shelby's first costume of the night.

"I'll wait outside," Rachel offered so that Shelby could get changed. She and Marcus left and he moved on to get costumes for other people.

It didn't take long for Rachel to wander away from the closed door and look around by herself. Shelby had given her the grand tour, but she liked this freedom to look around on her own.

"Ok, Rachel, I'm… changed. Rachel?" Shelby looked either way down the hall in front of her dressing room. She saw that Marcus was headed her way again and she stepped out to meet him. "Where did Rachel go?"

"I don't know," Marcus answered.

He moved past her and Shelby snuck a look inside her dressing room once more as if Rachel may have snuck back in when she wasn't looking. Shelby picked up her phone and then started her search.

"Great," she mumbled to herself. "I lost her after only a few hours; they're never going to let me see her again."

Shelby looked everywhere and asked everyone, but it seemed as if no one had seen Rachel. It was getting close to show time and Rachel was going to have to go and meet up with her fathers soon. She had to be in the theater somewhere, right? Rachel just wouldn't up and walk out without telling her, right? Well how would Shelby know? She did show up this theater without her dads knowing. She thought back to Hiram and LeRoy telling her how excitable Rachel could be. Had she gone off to meet her dads already? Maybe she should call them. Or maybe she should wait a couple of minutes.

The longer she searched, the more she felt like she'd lost a toddler in a department store. She was anxious and scared and looking in places Rachel couldn't possibly go. Shelby ended up by the entrance to the stage and thought about peeking around the now closed curtains to see if Rachel was maybe out in the seats. But she couldn't because she could already hear the murmur of a growing audience. Shelby put her hand to her head and looked down at her phone. She needed to call Hiram and LeRoy.

"Shelby!"

Shelby looked around to try and figure out where Rachel's voice was coming from.

"Over here!"

Shelby looked out across the stage and there, sitting in the rafters high above the floor on the other side, was her daughter. She was on a lighting perch that housed a crew member during the performance with a man named John, a lighting technician. Rachel wore a huge smile and was waving at her. Shelby returned the wave though not quite as enthusiastically and made her way over to them.

"John was showing me how the lights work for different parts of the play," Rachel said.

"Very cool," Shelby said. "Thanks, John. How did you get up there?"

"We climbed," Rachel said.

Of course they did, Shelby thought. But she also knew that the men who worked up there during the show wore safety harnesses and she did not see one strapped to her daughter. Plus there was the little matter of what she was wearing.

"You're in a dress," Shelby pointed out.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "It's ok."

"Come on down now," Shelby instructed. "You've got to go and get your seat."

"Thanks, John," Rachel said as she started to climb down.

"Anytime, kid," John said.

Shelby was nervous as she watched Rachel climb down. She was glad the girl had on flats instead of heels, but they still weren't the optimum footwear for this type of activity. When had she become such a worrier? She smiled and let out a sign when the girl was firmly back on the ground.

"Why'd you disappear on me?" Shelby asked as they walked back to her dressing room.

"I didn't," Rachel said. "I've been backstage the whole time."

"I couldn't find you," Shelby said.

"Oh," Rachel bit her bottom lip pensively. "Sorry."

"Just give me a head's up or something next time, ok?" Shelby said.

"Ok," Rachel promised. She loved the idea of there being a 'next time.'

"You need to go and find your dads and get your seat," Shelby said. "They said they would meet you at the stage door."

"How am I going to find you after the show?" Rachel said.

"You and your dads just go to the stage door and you'll be let in," Shelby said. "I've got your name on the list."

Once she was satisfied that it was all in order, Rachel left. Hiram and LeRoy greeted her when she stepped back into the brisk air. She started talking immediately about all of the things she had seen. She talked right up until the lights went down and the overture started.

Rachel was a crying mess when the show was over. It was flawless. Shelby and Allison Young were incredible. Rachel wanted to see it again. And again. Shelby smiled down at her during her curtain call and Rachel gave her a small wave. This all had to be a dream. How was that woman her mother? It was just… wonderful!

They waited while Shelby signed autographs and then she invited Hiram and LeRoy to come to her apartment with them.

"We'll wait until tomorrow," Hiram said. They had discussed this earlier and then men agreed that they should let Rachel have all night alone with Shelby. They didn't have that much time left in the city and they worried that if they went over tonight they would sit and talk all evening, probably well past the time Rachel fell asleep.

"Ok," Shelby said. She stepped back into the dressing room as the men turned to Rachel so that they could talk.

"Have fun tonight, sweetheart," LeRoy said. "And listen to Shelby."

"I will," Rachel assured them.

"And remember that she's a normal person, not just a big star," Hiram said.

"I know that, Dad," Rachel said. "I can't help it she's amazing."

Shelby smiled from her spot just inside the room.

"Just relax and get to know her, ok?" Hiram said.

"There's no pressure," LeRoy said. "Be yourself. And we're just a phone call away if you need us, no matter the hour."

"I know," Rachel said.

"We love you and we'll see you in the morning," Hiram said.

"I love you guys too," Rachel said as she hugged them.

"Ready?" Shelby asked as stepped out of the room. Rachel nodded eagerly and led the way from the theater.

Rachel was a ball of jumbled nerves and excitement as the rode the elevator up to Shelby's floor.

"This is amazing," Rachel said when Shelby finally unlocked the door and the walked in.

"I like it," Shelby said.

Shelby took Rachel's bag from her as the girl started to walk around and check the place out. She kicked off her shoes and looked up to see Rachel standing near a shelf that housed one of her Tony awards.

"Oh my god," Rachel whispered reverently as she looked it over. It was the one she'd won for _Wounded Heart_. She reached out a hand to touch it, but then drew it back.

Shelby laughed as she walked to the girl. "You can touch it."

Rachel shook her head, "I don't know if I should."

"Why not?" Shelby laughed again. "Here." She plucked it from the shelf and set it in Rachel's trembling hands.

Rachel stared down at it so intently Shelby thought it might start to do some sort of trick she'd never known about.

"This is a Tony," Rachel whispered as she looked back up at Shelby.

"I know," Shelby whispered back. "Don't drop it."

Rachel's eyes snapped back down to the award in her hand like it would fall if she didn't look at it.

"You're not going to break it, sweetheart," Shelby said. "Relax. Hold that thing like you won it. Stand up straight, big smile."

Rachel did as she was instructed and she laughed when she held it up triumphantly. This was a Tony! Shelby grabbed for her camera and snapped a picture of her daughter.

"Will you take one with my phone?" Rachel asked. "I want to show my dads."

"Sure," Shelby said. Rachel gave her the same pose and Shelby snapped the picture.

When Rachel reached for the phone, Shelby traded her and took the award and placed it back on the shelf.

"It's a good picture," Rachel gushed as she looked at her phone.

"Of course it is," Shelby said. "You're beautiful."

"Can I take one with you holding it?" Rachel asked suddenly.

"Me?" Shelby laughed. "I'm pretty sure you can find a picture of me with this award online."

"I know, but I can't get one like this one," Rachel said. "Please."

"Ok," Shelby agreed. She picked up the Tony and gave Rachel an award worthy smile as the girl took a picture. The casual jeans and a sweater were a far cry from the fancy dress Shelby had worn when she accepted this award, but Rachel loved it. This was a moment just for her.

"Enough with Tony," Shelby said after the picture had been taken. "Why don't you get changed and we can hang out."

"Ok," Rachel smiled.

Shelby gave her the penny tour as she led the girl to one of the guest rooms. "My room is just across the hall," Shelby pointed out. "Get changed and I'll fix us something to eat."

Rachel didn't waste much time getting out of her dress and into some casual clothes because she didn't want to miss anything. She did take the time to send the picture of her with the Tony to her dads.

Hiram and LeRoy were enjoying a drink in the bar in the hotel when their phones buzzed at the same time. They each spent a moment looking at the picture and then looked up at each other with sad smiles.

"She looks right at home holding that thing," LeRoy said.

"She's going to have her own someday," Hiram agreed.

"She's growing up so fast," LeRoy said and Hiram nodded.

They clinked their glasses together in a silent toast for their daughter. Neither was willing to say what the other was thinking; they loved Shelby and always had, but they didn't want to lose their daughter to the glitz the woman could provide.

Shelby was sitting at the baby grand in the corner of her sitting room when Rachel came out from the bedroom. "I'm warming up some pasta for us," Shelby said.

"Ok," Rachel said.

"Will you sing me a song?" Shelby asked. "Your dads told me I had to hear you because you're great."

Rachel beamed. "I'd be happy to sing a song. Will you sing with me?" It was a shy question.

Shelby nodded. "You first though. I'll play for you."

"Do you know "Funny Girl"?" Rachel asked.

Shelby scoffed and said, "Do I know "Funny Girl"? Of course I do."

She started to play the song and looked up at Rachel in case she needed to be cued in which, of course, she didn't. Shelby couldn't take her eyes off of her daughter while the girl sang. Despite what she'd been told, she hadn't expected that voice to come out of Rachel. Shelby knew immediately that Rachel was a one in a million talent. It wasn't just the voice which was stunning, but Rachel wasn't just singing; she was putting on a performance. Her face told the story of Fanny Brice's heartache and the sentiment of the song could be felt all throughout the room.

"That was… You're incredible," Shelby said. "I was blown away."

"Really?" Rachel asked with wide eyes.

"Yes," Shelby said. "You're going to take Broadway by storm."

"You really think so?" Rachel asked.

"I know so," Shelby said.

Rachel couldn't stop her tears as she sat down on the bench and hugged Shelby tightly. "I've wanted to be on Broadway for as long as I can remember."

"You can do it," Shelby said as she held her. "It's hard work and demanding and you can't sit back and wait for something to happen for you, you've got to go after it."

"I will," Rachel said. "I've been working on my NYU audition for a couple years now. And my grades are great and I'm in every club and I'm going to make sure the glee club wins at Regionals so it doesn't go away. Then we'll win Nationals."

"Slow down," Shelby said. She pulled back from Rachel and smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's not going to happen tomorrow. You've got time. But NYU is a good place to start. You can make wonderful contacts there."

"I'm going to do everything I can to get in," Rachel said.

"I know you will," Shelby said. "And I'll be here to help you."

Rachel smiled and turned towards the piano. "Sing with me."

One song turned into four and Shelby was finally able to pry Rachel away from the piano and into the kitchen so they could have something to eat. Rachel tried to help, but Shelby told her to just sit at the table and she would do it.

"Tell me about Lima," Shelby said as she sat down with their meal.

"It's Lima. There's nothing to tell."

"Tell me about school," Shelby said. She wanted to get to know more about Rachel. "What's your favorite subject? Besides music."

"English," Rachel answered. She took a bite of her meal and closed her eyes in satisfaction. "Oh my god, Mom, this is so good. Did you make it?" she asked as she put another forkful in her mouth.

Rachel looked up when Shelby didn't answer and saw that her mom was staring her. She watched as tears filled Shelby's eyes and she tried to figure out what happened.

"Are you ok?"

**A/N – Please leave me a review if you can. I really appreciate the feedback. Thank you all so much.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – Sorry about being so slow in getting this next chapter out! No excuses, just sorry. I hope you all enjoy this one. Thanks so much for all of the reviews and messages and story alerts and favorites. You guys are all so wonderful. I really hope that I'm able to live up to any expectations you all have. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Shelby tried to blink back her tears, but some of them fell anyway. Rachel was giving her a confused look and Shelby could tell that the girl didn't even realize what she'd done. Shelby set her fork down and took a second to find her voice.

"I'm fine," Shelby answered Rachel's earlier question. "I'm great. You called me mom."

"Oh," Rachel said. "I'm sorry. I didn't even realize I said it. If you don't want me calling you-"

"Whoa, wait," Shelby cut Rachel off. "It's fine. I'm happy. You can call me mom if you want to."

"No, I don't have to," Rachel said quickly. "It makes you uncomfortable and I know this is all happening so fast and we just me this afternoon and-"

"Rachel," Shelby stopped her again. She stood up and moved to the chair next to Rachel and pulled it close to her daughter. "It doesn't make me uncomfortable. That's a word I wasn't sure I'd ever get to hear you say to me. I was just surprised but I'm so pleased." Shelby put a gentle hand on Rachel's cheek and smiled. "Promise."

"Ok," Rachel smiled as tears now formed in her eyes. "Mom."

They both smiled at each other for a few moments before Shelby reached across the table and pulled her plate and drink to her so she wouldn't have to go back to her other seat. Shelby got Rachel to tell her about her life in Ohio and a little bit about school. Rachel kept insisting there was nothing to tell about herself and that she didn't want to bore her, but Shelby assured her that she was very interested.

After dinner, Rachel wanted to help with the dishes, but Shelby told her not to worry about it. They put it all in the dishwasher and left it. Shelby would run it later when it was full.

"I don't have much in the way of dessert in the house, but we can go out and get some ice cream or something if you want," Shelby said.

Rachel just shrugged. "Do people recognize you a lot when you go out?"

"Sometimes," Shelby answered. "So was that a no to the ice cream or…?"

"We can if you want," Rachel said.

"It's up to you," Shelby told her.

They were both stuck in a need to be polite and do whatever the other wanted. The newness of the relationship was really showing through and neither wanted to be the first to declare what they really wanted to do.

"Do you want to?" Rachel asked.

"Do you want to?" Shelby said with a smile and Rachel huffed.

"We could stay in and have drinks," Rachel said. "Don't worry, Dad and Daddy let me do it all the time," she added when she saw Shelby's shocked face.

"What?" Shelby asked seriously. "They let you drink? How much? How often? You just turned fifteen."

Rachel couldn't stop the smile that made its way across her face and she started to laugh when Shelby started to get worked up.

"You've got plenty of liquor and wine," Rachel motioned towards Shelby's liquor cabinet and wine racks. "I haven't looked to see if there's beer yet. You should see your face," Rachel laughed.

Shelby put her hands on her hips when she realized Rachel was joking with her. The action only caused Rachel to laugh harder. Shelby narrowed her eyes as Rachel went on.

"Can you get us into an exclusive club?" Rachel asked. "You're a big star." She was still laughing but started to back away when Shelby started to come towards her.

"I am not a big star in here," Shelby said. "I'm just a mother who does not want to hear about my young daughter drinking. Ever."

Rachel's smile widened at being called Shelby's daughter. Her laughing was turning to giggles as Shelby approached. Rachel had to stop backing away when she bumped into the wall. "Ok, I promise not to tell you if I go out drinking."

"And I promise to ground you for life when I hear about it," Shelby said. She wasn't sure where it came from, but the phrase uttered by so many parents left her mouth before she'd even really thought about it. She always assumed she'd be a cooler parent than that, but the she did not like the idea of Rachel drinking at all. Shelby reached Rachel and started to tickle the trapped girl.

"You won't," Rachel said as her laughter intensified. "Find out."

"Yes, I will," Shelby said. "I'll find out." She was laughing along with her daughter.

Rachel slid down the wall to try and get away, but Shelby wouldn't let her escape yet. Rachel wriggled and tried to push Shelby's hands away, but her mother was relentless.

"Mom," Rachel said. "Stop, please." She was still laughing, but was close to not being able to breathe.

Shelby stopped and then stood up to her full height and pulled Rachel up with her when the girl clasped onto her outstretched hand. Shelby was suddenly overcome with the urge to hug Rachel and couldn't stop herself from holding the girl tight. Rachel latched onto the sudden hug and breathed in Shelby's perfume and shampoo. She calmed down and stopped laughing and let herself be held.

"Ok," Shelby said when the moment was over. "Go into the living room and pick out a movie. You decide; no asking me if I want to watch something." Shelby pointed Rachel in the he right direction and nudged her forward.

Rachel was headed towards the entertainment center when she turned around and looked back at Shelby. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Does this mean we're not getting ice cream?" Rachel laughed at the balled up napkin that came sailing her way.

Rachel had chosen _Gone with the Wind_ as the movie she wanted to watch and Shelby was surprised. Rachel explained having recently read a biography on Vivien Leigh and that she wanted to look for everything about the movie that had been pointed out in the book. Shelby nodded along, but looked at the clock. It was already after eleven because her show hadn't started until eight. She didn't know how late Rachel normally stayed up or if there were any rules about that with her fathers. Not that it really mattered because it was the weekend and Shelby didn't have anything until her afternoon performance tomorrow. But still, _Gone with the Wind _was over four hours long. Shelby didn't say anything though because she had told Rachel to pick. She'd be surprised if the girl made it all the way through. She assumed Rachel was used to getting up early because of school whereas Shelby was a night owl and routinely stayed up until two or three in the morning.

"You are a big star, you know," Rachel said about thirty minutes into the movie.

"What?" Shelby asked.

"Earlier you said that in here you're just a mom. But you're still a big star," Rachel clarified.

Shelby sighed and wondered how she should explain this. "Not to my friends and family I'm not," Shelby said. "Stardom is relative, honey. It's useful and dangerous all at the same time. I'm a normal person."

"But you're not," Rachel said. "You're extraordinary."

Shelby smiled and wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulders as they sat on the couch. "I've got an amazing job that I'm pretty good at," Shelby said. "And yes, people know who I am and stop me for autographs and other kinds of things. But at the end of the day I come back here and eat leftovers and avoid doing the dishes and try to catch up with the TV shows I've recorded."

"But you go to fancy parties and win Tony awards and play to sold-out houses and make movies," Rachel said.

"Like I said, amazing job," Shelby told her. "And after those parties and award shows my feet hurt from the shoes I had to wear. It's all relative, remember that. But you're right; there are good things. I can afford to do so many things. And I can take a break from my job and not work for a year if I want and most people can't do that. I can travel and all sorts of things. But none of that changes who I am. You're right here with the real me. Non-famous Shelby watching a movie with her daughter."

"You won't forget me when I have to go home, will you?" Rachel asked. She looked down timidly and played with the hem of her shirt.

"No, of course not," Shelby said. "Hey, look at me. You are the most important thing in my life," she continued on when Rachel met her eyes. "And you always have been. I want you to understand that. Just because we only met today doesn't mean that I haven't thought about you your entire life."

"Really?" Rachel asked as her eyes welled with tears.

"The first thing I did after I landed my first show was to open a trust fund for you," Shelby said. "I've been building on it ever since. You have always been right there to me. Being patient and knowing I had to wait to meet you has been the hardest thing I've ever done."

Rachel nodded and leaned into Shelby and the pair grew quiet for a few minutes until Rachel had another question.

"A trust fund, huh?" Rachel asked with a sly smile as she sat back up and looked at her mother. "I don't suppose you want to let me have some of that now since we didn't have to wait until I'm 18?"

"I don't think so," Shelby said knowingly. "That, young lady, will not be available to you for some time."

"Fine," Rachel said, pretending to be annoyed.

"Although I suppose I can give you $300 or so early," Shelby said.

"Really?" Rachel was excited.

"Yeah, on one condition," Shelby said.

"What?"

"That you pay your dads back for that poster of me," Shelby teased.

"Mom!" Rachel exclaimed. She really was annoyed this time. "That's not fair. Besides, I was already grounded for that and therefore I don't have to pay it back."

"Is that so?" Shelby asked.

"Yes," Rachel said as if it were clear.

"How long were you grounded?"

"Two weeks. Two weeks, Mom," Rachel said in a tone that was asking Shelby if she could believe the injustice that was done to her.

"That's it?" Shelby asked.

Rachel's mouth fell open in shock. "That's it? It was agony. It felt like six months or something."

Shelby shook her head and smiled. Nothing dramatic about this kid, was there? "I'm sure it wasn't that bad. And you did earn it."

Rachel shrugged as if that was beside the point. "Would you ever really ground me?"

"What?"

"You said before…"

"Oh. Yeah." Shelby wasn't really sure how to go about this because she didn't know. Rachel's sporadic quest for details about how they would all move forward wasn't easy for Shelby. And she knew that it was probably just the tip of the iceberg. "I don't know," the woman answered honestly. "It would depend on what was going on and what your dads had to say. We need to talk to them about where we go from here."

Rachel hid her confusion and disappointment in that answer with a shrug and a smirk. "You'd probably never have to anyways."

Shelby shook her head and smiled. "Sure, kid."

They fell back into a silence as they watched the movie and after a while Shelby was having a good time watching Rachel try and keep herself awake. She'd suggested more than a few times that the girl go ahead and get some sleep, but Rachel brushed it off each time. It was close to one in the morning and they weren't even at the intermission yet and Rachel's head dropped down once more.

Shelby reached over and moved some hair back from Rachel's face and lifted the girl's head. "Rachel."

"What?" Rachel mumbled as she opened her eyes and found that she was looking directly at her mom. Shelby's hand was on top of her head holding it up and Rachel didn't even try to move away.

"Go to bed," Shelby instructed.

"Ok," Rachel mumbled again.

She stood up from the couch and Shelby thought she heard something that sounded like goodnight. The woman watched until Rachel disappeared from sight down the hallway. Shelby made a mental note of the situation and filed it away in her new parent database. Suggesting five times that the kid go to bed didn't work, but one direct instruction did. Good to know.

Shelby heard Rachel in the bathroom when she went back to her own room. She pulled a foot stool over to the closet and stood on it so she could reach a box and carefully pulled it down from a top shelf. Shelby smiled sadly as she always did when she looked at the yellow baby blanket that Rachel been wrapped in when she was in the hospital. The blanket was still in great shape because Shelby had only washed it a handful of times since that day she left the hospital. Part of her had never wanted to wash it for sentimental reasons, but she realized Rachel had spit up on it and common sense won over. She took it out and washed it every time she moved. Otherwise, it stayed folded up in this box in her closet. She also had a couple of the small white hospital onesies Rachel had worn.

Rachel was finished in the bathroom now and headed towards the guest room when Shelby met her in the hallway. She was holding the blanket and held it out to Rachel.

"What is it?" Rachel asked as she rubbed her eye.

"It's a blanket," Shelby answered. "The blanket from the hospital when you were born. The one in the pictures."

"Oh yeah," Rachel said. She woke up a little bit so she could pay attention. "It's pretty."

"I just thought you'd like to see it," Shelby said.

"Thanks," Rachel smiled. It quickly turned into a yawn and she shook her head a little bit to shake off the sleep. She reached out and took the blanket.

Shelby mentally kicked herself for doing this now. She'd told Rachel to go to bed and here she was stopping the half-asleep girl from doing just that.

"I love it," Rachel said.

"I'm glad," Shelby said with a relieved smile. "Ok. Get to bed."

"Ok," Rachel nodded. "Goodnight, Mom." She kept the blanket as she stepped into the room.

"Goodnight, Rachel," Shelby watched her go.

Shelby made sure the place was locked up and then went into her room to get changed and ready for bed herself. She felt tired, but she didn't know if she'd get any sleep at all that night. Her thoughts were overflowing from the day's events.

Shelby slipped into bed and stared up at the ceiling as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Her daughter was asleep in the next room. Shelby was almost afraid to fall asleep in fear that it might all be a dream and she didn't want to wake up from it. In this moment, she envied Rachel's body taking over because it was so tired.

Shelby spent another twenty minutes staring off into space before throwing her blankets off and getting out of bed. She stepped out into the hallway and quietly opened the door to the guest room. It was as if she had to check just to make sure Rachel was still there and to be sure she was ok. She smiled as she stepped into the room and saw that Rachel was fast asleep. Rachel was sprawled out and clutching the yellow baby blanket and Shelby couldn't stop her eyes from filling with tears at the sight of it. She pulled the covers up some and leaned down and lightly kissed Rachel's forehead. Sleep came easily when Shelby went back to her own room.

Shelby's alarm went off at 6:30 and she crawled out of her warm bed and grabbed a quick shower. She had no idea what time Rachel would get up and she wanted to be up before the girl was. After the shower, Shelby started a pot of coffee and looked through her phone to check her messages while she waited for it to brew. She always had a ton of emails and she made herself go through a few of them while she waited. She put the phone aside as soon as the coffee was ready and she sat down to enjoy her first cup.

Shelby didn't sit still for very long and soon found herself heading back towards the bedrooms. She wanted to look in on Rachel again. Shelby opened the door quietly and leaned against the doorframe and nursed her cup of coffee as she watched Rachel sleeping. Now that morning was here and she was up, Shelby wondered just what time Rachel would wake up. She didn't want to disturb her though and so she eventually left and went back to sorting through her long list of emails.

Rachel finally did emerge a little after nine and joined Shelby at the table in the dining room. She glanced at the clock and wished she'd have slept a little bit later.

"Good morning," Shelby greeted.

"Morning," Rachel yawned.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Great," Rachel said. "I think that's the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in."

"I'm glad," Shelby said. "What would you like for breakfast? I thought we could go get some bagels or something."

"Can I shower first?"

"Of course," Shelby laughed.

"I forgot to bring shampoo and stuff," Rachel said. "Can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure," Shelby said. "Help yourself to whatever you need."

"Thanks!" Rachel grinned as she got up from the table and headed back towards the guest room to grab her bag.

Shelby followed after and led her through the master bedroom to the bathroom. She made sure Rachel had everything she needed before leaving the girl on her own. Rachel opened her bag and pulled out some clothes to wear that day. She shoved her own shampoo and conditioner to the side and out of the way as she fished around for everything she needed. After everything was neatly arranged, she took a second to look around the bathroom. It was large and glorious and Rachel wanted to see everything that was there. She started to open the medicine cabinet and then thought that maybe she shouldn't. But her curiosity won out and she examined some of the prescription bottles even though she didn't know what the medicine was for. It wasn't unlike the medicine cabinet in her fathers' bathroom at home.

Deciding that she was taking too long, Rachel finally reached in and turned on the shower. She loved it immediately because of all the space in it. She thought she could probably lie down comfortably in this shower. Rachel examined all of Shelby's products from shampoo to shaving cream. She wanted to be able to use everything her mother did.

Rachel washed her hair with Shelby's shampoo and conditioner and also used her body wash. She examined the two different types of face wash and finally picked out the one that sounded better and hoped it was the same one Shelby used that morning.

Eventually Rachel turned the shower off and wrapped herself in one of Shelby's huge, fluffy towels. She made sure everything was just as she found it in the shower before stepping out and getting ready for the day.

Hiram and LeRoy agreed the meet them back at Shelby's place after breakfast and the men were waiting there when they returned.

"Wait until you see this place," Rachel gushed as they rode the elevator to the correct floor.

"It is beautiful," LeRoy said when they entered the apartment.

"Thanks," Shelby waved them off. "I'm a terrible decorator, but I like it."

"Why don't you just hire someone to decorate it?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel!" LeRoy scolded.

"I did," Shelby laughed. "He had to work with all of my stuff though and I don't think he liked it."

The three adults laughed but Rachel didn't really get it. She changed the subject quickly enough though when she started to give her fathers a tour. First stop: The Tony.

"Isn't it so cool?" Rachel gushed.

"Extremely," Hiram said. He had to rescue it from Rachel when she tried to carry it down the hall to the bedrooms. He gave Shelby an 'I told you so' look when he handed it back to her so she could return it to the shelf.

When they reached the guest room that Rachel had stayed in, she held up the baby blanket for the men to see.

"Look. Mom let me sleep with it last night," Rachel said. "It's the same one from the pictures."

Hiram and LeRoy exchanged a look at the word 'mom' and then looked over at Shelby who gave them a wary, half smile. Rachel missed the entire thing.

"That's wonderful, Rach," LeRoy said. "But now that we've seen everything, why don't we all go and sit down so we can talk about some of this."

"Ok," Rachel said in a much more serious tone that she had just used.

They settled around the table with coffee and tea and a bottle of water for Rachel and no one knew quite where to start.

"Is this about how Shelby will be my mom?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," LeRoy said. "You want Shelby do take on the role as mom for you?" he asked. It wasn't meant to be unkind towards Shelby, but they needed to ask it openly and honestly so that there wasn't any confusion down the road.

"Yes," Rachel said immediately. "Of course. She's my mom."

Shelby smiled into her mug full of tea.

"And you're ready for that?" Hiram asked Shelby. "Just like that?"

"I have a lot to learn, but I want to be there for however Rachel needs me, especially as her mother," Shelby said.

"Ok," LeRoy said. There was more about that he and Hiram would discuss with Shelby when Rachel wasn't present. "We already talked to our lawyer yesterday and the contract is in the process of being nullified. We'll need to call him back with your address so that a copy of all of the paperwork can be sent to you and you can have your own lawyer go over everything."

"Ok," Shelby said. "I'll write down all of my information for all of you so you have my address and phone numbers and everything like that."

"And we'll do the same, of course," Hiram said.

"What happens when we go home?" Rachel asked.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" LeRoy asked.

"When will I get to see her again? Will I be able to visit? Will she be able to visit me?" Rachel said.

"We'll work all of that out, ok," Hiram said. "Shelby is more than welcome to come and see us whenever she wants. And we'll figure out a time to come back to New York."

"I could come on my own and stay with her," Rachel said. "You'd let me, wouldn't you, Mom?"

Shelby nodded. She was trying to be quiet during this because Hiram and LeRoy were calling the shots, but she wanted Rachel to know that she was always welcome.

"We'll see, Rachel," Hiram said.

"There's spring break and the summer and long weekends," Rachel continued on.

"I said, we'll see," Hiram said. "Shelby is busy and it would have to be worked out. So let's not dwell on it now."

"Can we stay a few more days in New York?" Rachel asked. This was a question she'd been dying to ask for a while now.

"I'm afraid not," LeRoy said. "We've got work and you have school."

"But it's the 20th and Christmas break will be starting," Rachel said.

"Yes, and we have Christmas plans," LeRoy told her. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"But-"

"Rachel, I'm working all through the holidays anyway," Shelby said. "Your dads are right; we'll have to wait and see and work out some times to visit later."

"Fine," Rachel pouted and slumped back in her chair.

The rest of the day went by with Rachel grumping her way through it. She had wanted to stay and hang out with Shelby as long as possible, but the fathers also had plans that they had made as a family before Rachel knew the truth. Shelby had to work anyway and they promised Rachel they would see her before flying home the following day.

They arrived at Shelby's apartment early Monday afternoon so that they would have time to catch their flight home that evening.

"I have something for you," Shelby said to Rachel who was growing increasingly upset at having to leave. "But I don't want you to open it up and look at it until you get home. Ok?"

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"Because I asked you not to," Shelby replied.

"You sound like my mother," Hiram joked and even Rachel cracked a smile.

Shelby packed the box she had for Rachel in the girl's luggage and looked at Rachel expectantly.

"I won't look at it until I get home," Rachel recited dutifully.

"Good," Shelby said.

The box she had given her was the box of cards and letters she'd been getting and writing and saving for Rachel all of the girl's life. She'd written a new note and put it on top explaining what was in there and how she thought Rachel should have them since she'd been saving them for her all along.

Rachel started to cry when she hugged Shelby goodbye.

"No more crying, ok," Shelby whispered into Rachel's ear. "And no more being angry and grumpy. We will be able to visit soon. Your fathers are not being mean so stop acting like it." Rachel nodded into her shoulder.

Hiram and LeRoy couldn't hear what was being said as they watched the exchange between mother and daughter. They knew they would have their work cut out for them in the weeks and months ahead as Rachel, and all of them, tried to navigate this new world they found themselves in.

"I love you," Rachel whispered to Shelby and the woman's eyes filled with tears of her own.

"Me, your mom or me Shelby Corcoran?" Shelby whispered back.

"Both," Rachel said with a cheeky smile. "But especially my mom."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

Shelby said her goodbyes to the men next and took a grateful hug from both of them.

"Thank you," Shelby said.

"We love you, Shelby," Hiram said.

Rachel grabbed another hug before they left and promised Shelby she would call her when they got home safely. Shelby stood out on her balcony and waved to them as they got in the cab and drove off. Her tears came in earnest when she went back into her apartment alone.

The first thing Rachel noticed when they landed was that she had a text message from Kurt. She didn't think she'd ever received a text message from Kurt.

"I know we don't normally do this but I want to know how New York was," Kurt's message read.

Rachel wasn't even sure how to respond. It was vague and weird and why would Kurt care. She knew he loved Broadway, but she also knew he only seemed to tolerate her sometimes.

"It was wonderful," Rachel wrote back.

They were pulling into the driveway of their house in Lima when Rachel got a reply.

"I only ask because I was looking at pictures people took at the stage door of _Wounded Heart_ and I saw you," Kurt said. "You met Shelby Corcoran and I have to hear about it."

"There are pictures of me?" Rachel wrote back.

"Yes," came the reply. "A lot of them. How long did you talk to her? People on the message boards have been speculating about why she talked to you for so long. There's even reports that she took you backstage."

Rachel set her bags down in her room and immediately pulled out the box her mother had given her and sat down on her bed with it.

"Rachel, start to get your dirty clothes together so we can start a load of laundry," LeRoy said as he passed by her room.

"Ok," Rachel said, but she never got up. Her focus was back on her phone.

Rachel mulled over what to say to Kurt. She had no idea that these reports were out there and she wasn't sure if Shelby did either. Her mother had never mentioned it if she'd heard, but then again maybe her mother didn't care. Rachel read over Kurt's words again about how he had to hear about meeting Shelby Corcoran and she desperately wanted to be able to share her news with someone. She didn't have a best friend she could tell and Kurt might be the only one who really cared. But she also remembered her mom telling her how she wasn't going to tell anyone yet because of how quickly it could spread. This was just Kurt though. Who did he know and who could he tell?

Rachel typed in a message to reply to Kurt. "Can you keep a secret?"

**A/N – I hope you all liked this chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. I really appreciate your feedback. Thanks! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – Hi, everyone. I'm sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews and alerts and for reading my story. I appreciate all of your support so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I would love any review you can leave me. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Kurt's reply to Rachel's question was almost immediate. She was removing the lid from the box Shelby had given her when her phone chimed and she saw a "Yes, of course" from Kurt. Rachel had to pause for a second because she wasn't exactly sure how to say it. How did one go about giving out new discovered and highly sensitive family secrets? She could just say it and take it from there. That seemed like the best course to take. Then again, she might need to give him a little bit of an explanation to lead up to that. Rachel picked up her phone and started to type.

"Last week I discovered that"

Her phone started to ring and it startled her into hitting send early. As the message was sent to Kurt, her screen cut away from the text she was writing. Rachel smiled when she saw Shelby's name pop up.

"Hello," Rachel answered the phone with a smile.

"Hi," Shelby said. "Did you make it home ok?"

"Yeah, we got home about ten minutes ago," Rachel said.

"That's good," Shelby said.

"Yeah," Rachel nodded absently. She moved the box off her lap and sat up a little straighter. "Mom, I have a question."

"Ok," Shelby said. She was lounging at home because there wasn't a show on Mondays and she loved having the day off. "What's up?" She was thinking about going out later though.

Rachel heard the chime in her ear telling her that she had received another message. It was no doubt Kurt wanting to know just what she discovered.

"Did you know that there are blogs with pictures of you and me and people were wondering who I am," Rachel said.

"What?" Shelby asked. She hadn't heard anything about this. She knew there were people taking pictures, but her publicist Meredith usually alerted her to any serious stories or gossip written about her. Most things were fluff or stupid and didn't require a response, but she can't believe that Meredith hadn't contacted her. If that was out there, Shelby assumed the woman would be really curious if nothing else.

"Kurt said that people are talking about how you took me backstage and-"

"Who's Kurt?" Shelby asked.

"A boy I go to school with," Rachel answered. "He's in my glee club. Remember I told you about how we won Sectionals?"

"Yeah, I remember," Shelby said.

"Anyway, he wants to know how I got to meet you and why I went backstage," Rachel continued.

"What did you tell him?" Shelby asked.

"Nothing yet," Rachel said. "You called while we were texting."

"What would you have told him if I hadn't called and interrupted?" Shelby asked.

"Umm… I was going to tell him the truth," Rachel said really quickly and it took Shelby a few seconds to get the words sorted out in her brain. "I didn't think that it would matter because he doesn't know anyone so who could he tell?"

Shelby took off her glasses and leaned her head back on her couch while covering her eyes with her free hand. Who could he tell? The internet, that's who. One anonymous post on a message board or twitter and it would spread like wildfire.

"Rachel," Shelby said, "we talked about this. Remember?"

"Yeah, but that was when we were surrounded by more important people in New York," Rachel said. "Lima's not the same." There was silence for a few moments before Rachel asked, "Should I not tell him?"

Shelby sighed said, "Honey, listen. I'm not going to tell you who you can and can't tell. I know this is very important for you. It is for me as well. And I'm proud to call you my daughter. So if you have a friend you want to tell and you trust him with this then go ahead and tell him. But I'm asking you to please let me know when you do. But you have to understand that this won't go away once it's out. And it's going to come with a lot of press that I'm afraid that you're not ready for. And remember that it also affects your fathers and will shove them into the spotlight. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Rachel said softly and Shelby bristled at being called ma'am. "I won't tell him." She deflated. She was excited to get to share something like that. It was something that she knew Kurt would actually be interested in and maybe it would lead to a friendship between the two.

"Ok," Shelby smiled. "Let's just give it a little time, alright? I need to talk to certain people and we can work it all so that I can make an official announcement and that way we can control it. But everyone has to be onboard. Your dads have to agree."

"I understand," Rachel said. Her phone chimed again in her ear.

"Rach, laundry," LeRoy said as he poked his head into the room.

"Ok, Daddy," Rachel said and indicated she was on the phone. Her father wasn't all that sympathetic to her excuse. He gestured for her to get moving before leaving the room.

"Are you ok, sweetheart?" Shelby asked.

"I'm fine," Rachel said. "When will I see you again?"

"Soon, baby," Shelby assured her. "I promise that we will work this out for you. You're the most important person in this whole situation and everything will be ok."

"But I just found you and then I had to leave," Rachel said as tears welled in her eyes.

"But you've still got me," Shelby said. "I'm not going anywhere. We have plenty of time to spend together."

"I know," Rachel said. "I just miss you."

"I miss you too," Shelby said. "And you can call me day or night. If I'm onstage I'll call you as soon as I'm done."

That got a smile out of Rachel as she pictured her mother on stage. "You're so great out there on the stage."

"Thank you," Shelby said with sincerity though she wanted to roll her eyes. She wondered how long it would be before Rachel fully transitioned out of the fan mode. "Now you better get going. Tell your dads I said hello."

"I will," Rachel said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Shelby told her.

Shelby hung up the phone and dropped it down to the couch for a second and then immediately picked it back up. She quickly found the number she wanted and dialed.

"Meredith," Shelby said when her publicist answered. "We need to talk."

Rachel opened her text messages again when she ended the call with her mother.

"Discovered what?" was the first text from Kurt. And then, "Rachel?"

"I discovered that I couldn't get tickets to see _Wounded Heart_," Rachel wrote after thinking for a minute. "It was sold out because it's so popular."

"Duh," Kurt replied.

"But I wanted to see Shelby Corcoran anyway because she's my favorite and is so amazing," Rachel continued, "so I went to the stage door and waited for her to come out. I got to talk to her a little bit and told her my story and how I was there for my birthday and couldn't get tickets. I guess she was taken with me or something because she let me go backstage and then got tickets for me and my dads." She hoped that sounded plausible.

The response wasn't as fast this time and once again Rachel picked up the box Shelby had given her and moved it to her lap. She was picking up the note Shelby had put on top to explain what it was but she didn't even get to unfold it because her phone chimed again.

"You got to meet Shelby Corcoran?" Kurt asked. "Just like that? And see the show? How are you so lucky? Did you blackmail her or something?"

"No I didn't blackmail her!" Rachel wrote back in a huff. "She just thought I was nice and I explained what a huge fan I am and she said that since it was my birthday weekend and I had come all that way, I should get to see the show. She was so incredible."

"Of course she was," Kurt replied, the texts coming quicker now. "I can't believe all of that happened. Do you have pictures? You must have pictures. Send me one please." He wasn't accusing her of lying; he genuinely excited.

Rachel opened her pictures folder on her phone before it occurred to her that she and Shelby had never taken a picture together. In fact, the only picture Rachel had of the woman was from the night in her house when she asked her mom to hold her Tony award and she couldn't send that one to Kurt.

"All the pictures I have are on my dad's phone," Rachel wrote back. "I will get him to send me some and then I will show you."

"Seriously?" Kurt asked. "I figured you'd have about a thousand stalker pictures of while you were waiting at the stage door."

"I did not stalk her!" Rachel defended. "I simply planned to be there at the same time she was."

"Whatever," Kurt said. "What was she like?"

"She was so nice and so sweet and so perfect," Rachel gushed.

"Did you get an autograph?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," Rachel typed. "She signed the playbill. Allison Young did too. I met her backstage too."

"Are you serious? She's fantastic."

"I know," Rachel said. She left off the part about Allison Young inviting her out.

"I'm so jealous," Kurt pouted. "You'll have to tell me all about in school tomorrow. I've got to go. My dad and I are about to have dinner."

"Ok," Rachel said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Rachel set her phone off to the side and a small smile played on her lips. It was nice to have a real conversation with a peer who was actually interested in what she had to say. After a moment her attention once again turned to the box that Shelby had given her. She reached for the note, but was stepped when LeRoy came into her room and gave her a stern expression.

"Rachel, unpack. Laundry. Now," the father said.

"I was talking to Shelby and then Kurt," Rachel explained.

"And now you're not so let's get a move on," LeRoy said.

"In a second," Rachel said.

LeRoy knew his daughter and he knew that when she said 'in a second' she meant in about five hours. "No, now. I want to get all of this done and put away before anyone goes to bed. Now come on, please."

Rachel dropped the still folded note back into the box and moved it off her lap once again. She sighed dramatically when she stood up and moved towards her suitcase. LeRoy resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her as he left the room. Life was just so tough.

Laundry was started and continued to go while they ate dinner. Rachel talked animatedly about their trip, but left out mention of telling anyone about Shelby. She figured that was a conversation for another time. She wasn't able to escape back to her room until after the dishes had been done, and even when she did she had a pile of laundry to hang up or fold and put away. The box on the bed sat waiting for her to get back to it. She decided to change into some pajamas before settling in to finally see what her mother had given her.

Rachel unfolded the note and read that in the box were cards and letters that Shelby had written to her over the years. She had been saving them for when she could meet Rachel and give them to her. But the mother never missed a birthday or Hanukkah or Christmas and there were other, random, cards thrown in as well. There were also letters that Shelby had written to Rachel over the years.

Rachel's hands were trembling when she picked up the first card and opened the envelope. It wasn't sealed and she easily pulled the card out. There was a picture of Santa Claus on the front and when Rachel opened it she saw 1994 written in the top right hand corner. The message declared that it was Baby's First Christmas. Rachel would have been a week old.

_Merry Christmas, Rachel! It's only been four days since I saw you, but I miss you so much already. You are beautiful and perfect and I love you so much. Your mama loves you, baby. _

Rachel couldn't stop the tears from swimming in her eyes. The next card was for the baby's first Hanukkah. The next thing she picked up was a letter dated February 2, 1995.

_Hi, Rachel. I think about you all the time and am wondering how you're changing and growing. You must be getting so big. I've auditioned for five different things and have only received two call backs so far. But don't worry, I won't give up. I'm going to make it and one day you'll be so proud of me. I also hope that one day you'll understand all of this and why things happened the way they did. I hope you can understand why I'm not there with you right now. I wish I could be or that you could be here with me, but I know that can't be. We all just want what's best for you. You're more perfect than words could ever describe. I promise that one day I will try and explain everything to you. I just hope that you won't hate me when that time comes. _

There was more in the letter about Shelby describing some of her day-to-day activities to the infant she was writing; almost as if she were keeping a journal. Shelby had been doing everything she could to feel like she was staying connected to the little girl. At the end it was signed, _Love, Mom._

There were a couple of more random cards before she got to one for her first birthday. The sentiment was supposed to be excitement, but Rachel thought she detected hints of sadness in Shelby's words. She wished she could see what Rachel looked like and wanted to know if she was walking or saying any words yet. It was signed with the same, _Love, Mom._

Rachel had started crying when she'd gotten to the Halloween card and the birthday card only made it worse. She was conflicted because she wanted to see every single card and letter in that box immediately, but she also wanted to wait. She wanted to keep some of them for a later time. She honestly didn't know if she could handle it all right now. Rachel carefully put the letters and cards she taken out and looked at back in the box and put the lid on it. She found a spot for it on her desk and left it there for the time being.

Rachel did her best to hide the fact that she'd been crying when she made her way down the stairs to find her fathers. Hiram was able to see her through her right away and turned off the TV when he saw her face.

"Rach?" Hiram asked, concerned.

"I don't understand," Rachel said and her face crumpled into another wave of tears.

Hiram was on his feet in an instant and he wrapped his daughter in a hug. She buried her face into his shoulder and continued to cry. LeRoy came into the room from his office and sent a questioning look at Hiram who indicated that he didn't know what was wrong yet.

"What don't you understand?" Hiram asked.

"She wan-wanted to be with me," Rachel said. "Or at least know me. And-and you said you loved her. Why wasn't I allowed to know her before now? Why didn't anybody tell me? Why couldn't she visit? I don't understand."

"Oh, sweetheart," Hiram said as he held her tighter.

The fathers stared at each other as they tried to formulate what to say. LeRoy ran his hand over his head and then let it drop back down by his side. They had actually talked about this privately because they were expecting something like this. It was only a matter of time before the high wore off and reality struck.

"Honey, I'm not sure anyone is ever going to be able to adequately explain it all to you," LeRoy said. He stepped closer and put a comforting hand on Rachel's back. "We wanted a child so badly. We wanted you so much. Shelby wanted to go back to New York City. We had the contract drawn up and it was signed before we even knew the treatment had worked and she was pregnant. I know we sound stupid, but I don't think any of us really understood the magnitude of what that meant."

Rachel pulled back from her dads so she could look at them and wiped at her eyes. "You didn't understand that she was leaving? She didn't understand that she was agreeing not to see me for eighteen years? How is that possible?"

"It is, sweetheart," Hiram said. "It took three treatments for Shelby to even become pregnant. We all fell into a routine. At first she still talked about what she was going to do when she got to New York City. It didn't occur to me until much later that she stopped talking about Broadway the closer it go to your due date."

"Why didn't you ask her to stay?" Rachel asked them.

"We had already asked so much of her," LeRoy said. "She was giving us a baby. We couldn't ask her to give up her dreams as well."

"It was always just the way it was," Hiram said. "We were all getting something out of the arrangement."

"What if she has asked to stay?" Rachel said. "What if she had changed her mind and wanted to be a part of my life? Would you have let her?" Rachel needed to know that her fathers would have said yes.

"Yeah," LeRoy said. "We would have. We would have dropped the contract and worked something out."

"Why didn't she ask?" Rachel said and her chin started to tremble with fresh tears.

"Maybe she didn't think she could ask," Hiram said. "Maybe she was too scared. She was a kid, Rachel. Her whole world had been wrapped up in trying to make it in New York."

"Not unlike someone we know," LeRoy added.

"I think she did what she thought she wanted," Hiram continued. "She did what she thought she was supposed to do."

Rachel wiped at her eyes again. She still wasn't quite sure how to process all of that information so she didn't ask anymore of her questions. The emotional upheaval of the entire weekend had been exhausting. She felt like she wanted to be mad at her dads and Shelby in this moment, but she couldn't muster up the energy to do it. She had more questions and more complaints and more everything, but she couldn't deal with it all right now.

"Shelby says I shouldn't tell anyone yet," Rachel added after a few moments of silence. "She said once word got to the press that they would have a field day with it."

"She'd probably right," LeRoy said. "We don't want you being hounded for interviews or being bothered in any way."

"She also said that you two need to agree before we tell anyone," Rachel continued.

"Do you want to tell anyone?" Hiram asked. He understood what was going on. She wanted to be able to tell people she knew her mom. He didn't even think it was about Shelby being a star, but rather that she too had this figure in her life that most other people had.

"I almost told Kurt," Rachel admitted. "He likes Broadway too and knows who Shelby is. But I didn't tell him. I'll wait like Shelby said. I don't want you guys to get hurt. I hope you're not mad at me," she added softly and looked at the ground.

"Why would we be mad?" Hiram said.

"We already told you that we weren't," LeRoy said.

"I just- I don't know how to explain it," Rachel said. "I love you so much and you're my parents and I don't want anyone to take that away. No one ever could. But I found the one person I've been wondering about my entire life. I have a mom. I don't need her in that I need another parent, but I want her so badly. I'm sorry that I want her so much."

"Rachel," LeRoy said. He stooped down to her level, which was a sight to see, and said, "We understand. We're not angry at you. It is ok to want your mom. It's ok to need her. That does not take away from your father and me. It doesn't change that you are our daughter. We are proud of you for being open and honest and so loving even when we know that there is anger brewing in there. You are doing your best to understand and though I know that you're still struggling, you're giving all of us a chance to try and explain."

"He's right, Rachel," Hiram said. "To piggyback on what your dad is saying, I want you to know that you can come to us with any of your questions or concerns about this. Please don't bottle up your feelings. Don't keep anything to yourself because you're afraid to hurt our feelings. We are right here for you as we all try and figure this out. But we all need to be honest with each other."

"I love you, dads," Rachel said and she latched onto both of them in a hug. "And I promise I won't tell anyone yet."

"Ok," Hiram said. "Let us know when you might be ready and we'll talk to Shelby and we'll all figure something out."

"Ok," Rachel agreed. It wasn't so bad, Rachel knew. She was getting to keep Shelby all to herself for now.

Rachel felt great the following day when she went to school. They only had to go to school for two days including this day before the Christmas break. The day was going by pretty quickly and Rachel was quite pleased with herself for having avoided being slushied all day. She had texted with Shelby a few times throughout the day. Shelby's first response had been shock that kids were allowed to have their phones in school. Shelby remembered when pagers were a huge deal and you had better not be caught in school with one.

Rachel hadn't brought up the box of cards and letters to her mom yet because she wanted to make sure she didn't lose it like she did with her dads the night before. She was still trying to hold onto some imaginary cool factor with her mom and she didn't need her mother to be privy to a breakdown just yet. Or ever. Rachel was trying to heed her fathers' advice to just be herself, but it wasn't always easy.

Shelby didn't mention the box to Rachel because she didn't want to pressure the girl into looking at anything yet. She wasn't sure if she was expecting some big reaction from her daughter and so she didn't know yet if she'd be disappointed if she didn't get it.

Rachel walked into the choir room with her head held high and full of confidence. This was nothing new to any of the other people in there. They were taking a bit of a break now that Sectionals was over, but Rachel wanted to start talking about Regionals; even if there were only two practices left before the break. In her head, Rachel already pictured Shelby showing up at Regionals and she wanted everything to be perfect for her mother. The routines had to be perfect. She had to be perfect.

Kurt was standing on a chair on the highest riser and looking out the window. She had no idea what he was always looking at, but she wasn't too concerned with it now. Her phone buzzed again and Rachel pulled up a text from Shelby asking her if the school day was over. Rachel told her that she was currently at glee rehearsal.

"Oh," Shelby replied through text. "Sing pretty. I'll talk to you later."

Rachel smiled and stood up and set her phone down on the chair.

"Mr. Schuester, can we start to talk about Regionals?" Rachel asked as she stepped past Mike and Finn and then onto the floor.

"Rachel, I hadn't really planned to work on that until after the break," Mr. Schue replied. "We've got plenty of time."

"I know, but…"

"Kurt tuned her out as he hopped down from the chair and sat down. He noticed Rachel's phone and picked up before it could lock out. He assumed that she her dad had sent her the pictures of Shelby and Rachel had already said that he could see them so he opened her photos folder and gaped at the first picture he saw. It was Shelby Corcoran alright but this wasn't at a stage door in at a theater. He could see the kitchen in the background. The woman was dressed casually and holding a Tony award. How did she? What? Kurt flicked to the next picture and his mouth fell even further open. It was Rachel and she was holding the Tony. Was that Shelby Corcoran's house?

"Rachel," Kurt said loudly stopped her speech about preparedness and everyone turned to look at him.

"Kurt, stop!" Rachel said hurriedly when she realized he was looking at her phone. She started to rush back up to the back row of seats.

"Are you in her house?" Kurt asked.

"Kurt," Rachel tried to stop him again. He held the phone out of her grasp when she reached for it.

"Is that her Tony?" Kurt asked. "Why are you in Shelby Cor-"

Rachel lunged at him in an attempt to get her phone back and in doing so, she knocked him out of the chair and they landed in an ungracious heap on the floor.

"Rachel!" Mr. Schue said sharply. "What is going on here?"

Rachel looked at Kurt and then to her coach and finally at the rest of the room that was staring at her like she'd lost her mind. This was not good.

**A/N – I hope you all like this one. Please leave me a review if you can. Thank you so much. And I promise that I will do my very best to make sure it doesn't take as long for another chapter to come out. Thanks, guys. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N – Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! I'm so sorry for the delay. Thank you all so much for all of the reviews and messages and encouragement. You guys are so wonderful to me and I appreciate it so much and do my best to create stories you'll like. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please leave mea review at the end. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Rachel looked around the room and tried to buy herself some time so she could figure out what to tell everyone. She and Kurt were still on the floor and he still wouldn't hand her the phone back. There were questions in his eyes and she was silently pleading with him to drop it.

"Rachel?" Mr. Schue said again. "What is going on?"

"I just didn't want Kurt looking at my phone," Rachel said as she got to her feet and Kurt followed suit.

"That's no reason to attack him," Mr. Schue said.

"I didn't attack him!" Rachel defended herself.

"It was more like she threw herself on him," Santana smirked.

"What's on that phone?" Quinn asked with an evil glint her eye. "What don't you want anyone to see?"

"Nothing," Rachel said.

"Sure," Quinn grinned.

"Please be quiet, Quinn," Rachel said.

"You be quiet," Quinn said. "I'm not the one freaking out over some pictures."

"I'm not freaking out," Rachel retorted.

"Yes, you are. Weirdly, I find it kind of hot," Puck added.

"Shut up, Puckerman!" Rachel yelled. "Kurt, give me my phone."

"No, give me the phone," Mr. Schue said. He stepped forward and held his hand out for the device. "I want to know what's going on."

"I just wanted to see some pictures from her trip to New York City," Kurt explained. "But I saw something I didn't expect to see." He looked at Rachel and tried to understand what was going on. How had Rachel met Shelby Corcoran and, more importantly, why was she reluctant to talk about it? He would expect that Rachel would want to tell anyone that would listen that she had met and clearly spent some time with her idol.

"Oooohhh, what?" Mercedes asked.

"It's nothing," Rachel said. She was turning red at the all of the scrutiny and innuendos.

"Rachel, do you have something that's inappropriate on your phone?" Mr. Schue asked.

"No!" Rachel exclaimed.

"She doesn't," Kurt clarified.

"Let me see," Mr. Schue said.

"No," Rachel said as she intercepted the phone before Kurt could hand it to their teacher. She quickly held it behind her back.

"Rachel, let me see it and if it's nothing like you say we can move on," Mr. Schue said. "The more you hide it, the more suspicious it looks."

"I don't have to show you anything that's on my phone," Rachel said.

"Actually, yes you do," Mr. Schue said. "As long as you choose to bring your phone to school, I can look at it if I feel you might be doing or hiding something inappropriate."

"Show him," Santana egged her on while everyone except Kurt laughed.

"It's really nothing," Kurt said to Mr. Schue. "I promise. I shouldn't have gone through her phone."

"I appreciate you telling me that, Kurt, but I would like for Rachel to show me for herself," Mr. Schue said.

All eyes once again turned to Rachel and she mulled over what to say. She couldn't just blurt it out to everyone in the room because it hadn't even been a full day since she'd promised Shelby and her dads she wouldn't say anything. She glared at Kurt and he softened his eyes for her. She was not accepting his apology right now.

"Rachel," Mr. Schue said. "Now." His hand was out and ready to take her phone.

"No," Rachel steeled her resolve. "This phone is my property, or rather the property of my parents, and I don't have to show it to you because I have a right to my privacy." Her voice started to rise in anger and frustration. "I can assure you that there is nothing inappropriate to be seen on here and I will not stoop to such accusations or give up my rights in order to appease any type of curiosity or misplaced concern on your part. Maybe if everyone would just mind their own business, you included Mr. Schuester, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place!"

The room was eerily silent after her outburst and the kids had wide eyes and cheeky smiles as they looked back and forth between teacher and student. It was always kind of fun to be witness to someone else getting in trouble when you knew you were safe.

Rachel's brain seemed to catch up to the words she had just yelled and she quickly snapped her mouth shut. Mr. Schue stared down at his star singer and stood up straighter to show he was in control and that he was not going to allow her to act this way.

"Rachel. Figgins. Now."

There were snickers all around as Rachel mustered up every bit of dignity she had and gathered her book bag and marched out of the room with her head held high. She didn't bother to look back when Kurt called her name.

LeRoy entered the principal's office thirty-five minutes later and exchanged pleasantries with Mr. Figgins and Mr. Schue before taking a seat next to a reticent Rachel. She had refused to turn her phone over to the administrator as well even after he had threatened to call her parents. Rachel would be lying if she said she wasn't worried, but it was more in a general sense. She'd been sent to the principal's office before but had never had to have one of her dads come in to deal with it. But she knew her dad would be on her side in this case. Or at least she assumed.

LeRoy listened as Mr. Schue explained what had happened and then to Rachel's side of the story.

"Mr. Berry, we cannot allow any student to have anything inappropriate on their phones in class," Principal Figgins said. "It can create a situation just like the one that happened today."

"How about if I take a look at it and decide if it's inappropriate?" LeRoy said. "If I deem it to be something she shouldn't have I will take it and delete it. If not, my daughter is entitled to her privacy. She didn't show anyone for a laugh. From what you've said the boy looked at her phone without her permission. That's not something she can control."

Rachel kept her face passive, but she was grinning on the inside at her father's defense of her. He wouldn't let them get the best of her. She had learned her 'threatening to call the ACLU' speech from someone, after all.

"That seems fair," Principal Figgins said. "But none of that excuses her attitude and outburst directed at her teacher and classmates."

"But if she felt like she was being ganged up on and attacked, she has the right to not give up something that is private to her," LeRoy said. "Rachel puts up with a lot in this school and I haven't seen anyone do anything about that."

"We are working to stop the slushies," Figgins said. It was a lie. He hadn't done anything at all even though LeRoy had been in earlier in the year to complain.

"Let's make a deal," LeRoy said. "You work harder on the assault that is launched at your students on a daily basis and I will speak to my daughter about her attitude."

Figgins and Mr. Schue nodded.

"Good. Ok, Rach, show me the phone," LeRoy said.

Rachel didn't hesitate to pull out her phone and unlock it. She opened up the picture folder and handed it to her dad. "He was looking at the first two pictures."

LeRoy took it and understood immediately. He flicked to the second one and then cast a glance over at his sheepish daughter before turning his attention back to the other men in the room.

"Well, I can guarantee you that there is nothing inappropriate about what Rachel has here." LeRoy closed the folder and then handed the phone back to his daughter. "I will speak to her and advise her to keep her phone in her bag while she is in class so that it cannot end up in the hands of someone who shouldn't have it in the first place. And I would appreciate it if the other children were given a reminder lesson on the value of other people's property and privacy."

Principal Figgins nodded as they all got to their feet. "Thank you for your time."

"Of course," LeRoy said before guiding Rachel from the room with Mr. Schue following.

Rachel started to walk away, but LeRoy cleared his throat lightly and she stopped and looked up at her teacher.

"I'm sorry for yelling, Mr. Schue," Rachel apologized. "But I really can't share what I have there and it was unfair to expect me to do so after I'd repeatedly said I didn't want to. Kurt just doesn't understand what he saw. But I would appreciate if the matter was dropped and forgotten so that we can all move on and have a nice holiday and come back to school in January with fresh ideas for our upcoming Regionals competition."

LeRoy's mouth twitched in a grin, but he got it under control as he watched Mr. Schue try and formulate a response to that.

"Thank you, Rachel," Mr. Schue finally said. "And I agree, we should just move on. I expect you'll come back to school with lots of ideas."

"I've already got a lot," Rachel said. "That's what I was trying to tell you when all of this started. We need to get to work right away because our next competition has to be our best one yet. We don't have time for any slacking off. I can create a practice schedule for everyone to follow over the holiday break and hand it out tomorrow."

"That probably won't be- I mean, everyone will be busy," Mr. Schue tried to fend off her slow takeover of his club.

"Rachel, we'll let Mr. Schue come up with schedules and you can share more of your ideas with him later," LeRoy stepped in to steer the conversation.

"Thanks," Mr. Schue said as he and LeRoy shook hands.

LeRoy and Rachel walked in companionable silence towards his car and he sweetly held the door open for her so she could get in the passenger side. She could feel him staring at her when he got in the car and she looked over and smiled innocently at him. He raised a warning eyebrow and she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He was smiling when she sat back, but that didn't stop him from reaching his hand out, palm up, and waiting. She looked at his hand and then back up at him with a pout. His expression darkened just a touch in expectation and she finally relented and handed her phone over with an exaggerated sigh. He put her phone in his shirt pocket and did his best to hide a smile as she slumped her shoulders and leaned back into the seat. So much for justice.

Shelby was in her dressing room at the theater and was getting ready for her show. She was kind of surprised that she hadn't heard from Rachel since the girl was in school, but she didn't think much of it. It's not like she expected Rachel to drop whatever she was doing to call her every evening at a certain time or anything because she knew how teenagers were, but she had hoped to talk to her before she went on stage. She just wanted to say hello again and tell her to have a good night. It occurred to her that she didn't know if it was too late to call after the show had ended because she didn't know if Rachel would be asleep yet. It was the small details about her daughter's life that Shelby was desperate to know. What was Rachel's bedtime and how did she like to spend her afternoons after school? Who were her friends? What was her favorite flavor of ice cream? Shelby wanted to know any and everything.

Well, there was one question she could have answered right now. Shelby sat back in her chair and sent a quick text to Rachel to say hello and asking what was the latest time she could call. She went back to applying her make-up and checked the phone ten minutes later when she still hadn't received a response. Shelby shook her head and laughed at herself and realized that she was going to have to learn to get it together. But she still wanted to know how late she could call. Next option, and it occurred to her, probably the right option, was to call the parents.

Hiram's phone rang three times before he picked it up. Rachel was doing the dishes in the kitchen and he smiled at her back as she stood at the sink when he answered, "Hello, Miss Corcoran." Rachel spun around and looked at him as she held her soapy, wet hands up.

"Mr. Berry," Shelby laughed. It had taken her two weeks to stop calling the men Mr. Berry when she'd first met them.

"Don't call me that, it makes me feel old," Hiram chided jokingly.

"Dad, let me talk to her," Rachel said but Hiram waved her off.

"Oh, so sorry," Shelby said to Hiram, but she heard Rachel in the background. "I texted Rachel a little while ago, but I never got a reply. I've got a question and I figure it's better to ask you or LeRoy anyway."

"Rachel has lost her phone for the evening," Hiram explained.

"Dad!" Rachel hissed in embarrassment.

"Ah, I see," Shelby smiled at Rachel's reaction. "Well, I was just going to ask how late I can call because the show won't end before ten each night, but guess I won't bother her tonight."

"She's usually in bed by 10:00 or 10:30," Hiram told her. "So we'd appreciate if she didn't have very long calls after that. But feel free to call and say goodnight after your shows. That's fine."

"Thanks," Shelby said. "I won't ever call any later than that. And I won't keep her long. I just want her to know that I'm here and that I love her and that she can count on me and-"

"Shelby," Hiram said gently. "I know. Don't ever feel you can't do that, ok?"

"Ok," Shelby sighed.

Rachel started to take a few steps towards her father, mindless to the fact that she was dripping water all over the floor. "Dad."

"Shelby, I would let you talk to Rachel, but she's doing the dishes right now as penance for her trip to the principal's office today," Hiram said much to Rachel's chagrin.

"Dad!" Rachel was mortified for Shelby to know she'd gotten into any type of trouble.

"Ohh," Shelby smiled again. "Nothing too serious, I hope."

"No. Not unless she stops getting water all over the floors. Rachel, turn around and finish up," Hiram instructed.

"What happened?" Shelby asked. Even though she knew that she hadn't stepped into any type of parental role yet with Rachel, she was desperate to be included. She wanted to know what was going on with Rachel and not just from what the girl told her. She was one of the adults in this situation too and she needed and wanted to know that Hiram and LeRoy saw her as such.

Hiram walked into the other room and away from Rachel so that she wouldn't hear him talking about her. He relayed the story to Shelby who didn't know whether to groan or smile at the whole thing.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Shelby said.

"It's not your fault," Hiram told her. "Rachel has no problem upping her attitude when she wants."

"She's not really in too much trouble, is she?" Shelby asked.

"Aww, you softy," Hiram joked. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger already."

"No!" Shelby said. "I just don't want her to be upset and she was trying to do what I asked by keeping it a secret and somehow it doesn't seem fair."

"She didn't need to yell at her teacher or be rude. We would like her to find better ways to express herself than by throwing a fit," Hiram explained gently. "It wasn't fair that Kurt looked at her phone without her permission-"

"But she can't get away with acting out like she did," Shelby finished for him.

"Right," Hiram said. "And don't worry; she's not doing hard labor. One of her chores is to do the dishes and instead of loading the dishwasher, we asked her to do them by hand tonight. She's off the hook after that."

"Ok," Shelby was relieved on Rachel's behalf. "Hiram?"

"Shelby?"

"What happens if she's ever in a lot of trouble one day? What happens if she's grounded and you take away her phone for a week or something?" Shelby asked.

"Then she doesn't have her phone," Hiram said. He wasn't being facetious; he just didn't understand where she was going with her questions.

"Does that mean she can't call me or that I can't call her?" Shelby asked. "Will we not be able to talk during that time?"

"Absolutely not," Hiram said emphatically. "You are her mother, Shelby and she will not ever be kept from communicating with you even if she is being punished and has no phone. You might have to call one of our phones or the house phone, but you can always talk to her."

"Thank you," Shelby said. "I don't want to step on yours and LeRoy's toes or anything like that and I wouldn't undermine you at all, but-"

"Shelby," Hiram stopped her again. "Don't worry about it. This is all going to become easier on everyone as we feel this process out, but your place in her life is secure now. You will not be shut out and we will keep you informed about what's going on with her. If she's grounded or wins an award or falls down and breaks her arm, you will know about it."

"Thank you," Shelby said again.

"Of course," Hiram said. "If you give it about another half hour, I'm sure Rachel will give you a call."

"Remind her that I go on at eight," Shelby said.

"Will do. Talk to you later."

Hiram hung up the phone and went into the office where he found LeRoy playing a game of solitaire on the computer.

"I thought you were getting some work done since you had to leave early to get Rachel," Hiram said.

"It's finished," LeRoy said. "Now I'm trying to beat your high score."

"Well that's a fruitless endeavor," Hiram smirked and LeRoy rolled his eyes.

Hiram explained his conversation with Shelby so that LeRoy would know what he had promised her. LeRoy agreed and they knew they would need to explain that all to Rachel too. They didn't want her to think they would ever try and hold her mother over her head as some sort of punishment or incentive. That wouldn't be fair to either of them.

The conversation soon moved to their plans for the Christmas break which turned into talk of the romantic dinner they had planned for just the two of them the day after the holiday. LeRoy picked up a sprig of mistletoe that hadn't made it up and held it over their heads.

Rachel wiped her hands dry and then made sure everything was cleaned and put away before going in search of her fathers to let them know she was finished.

"Ugh! Get a room!" Rachel said when she turned the corner into the office and saw her fathers kissing.

"We have a whole house, sweetheart," Hiram assured. Rachel shuddered. She was 15 now and considered herself to be quite mature, but parents and sex was just gross.

"I'm finished with the dishes," Rachel thankfully changed the subject.

"Good girl," LeRoy said. "I know your reasons and I understand them, but how about we try and avoid yelling at teachers and ending up in the principal's office from now on, ok?"

"Ok," Rachel nodded contritely. "What did Shelby want?"

"Your mother had a couple of questions for me," Hiram said.

"Why did you have to tell her I got in trouble?" Rachel pouted.

"Because she's your mom," Hiram said. "Sit down and let's have a talk."

Hiram explained to Rachel what had been said and how Shelby felt about it. The men assured Rachel once again that Shelby was there in her life for good and that she wouldn't be the only one talking to the woman. Rachel was pleased to hear that no matter what, she'd still be able to talk to her mom. The parents talking amongst themselves was something that Rachel hadn't even really thought of before. She wasn't sure why it didn't occur to her, but it made her think differently about it when she realized she wouldn't be the one controlling the message her mother received. Rachel told Shelby about glee club and little things about school, but she didn't mention anything she didn't want her mom to know about her. She wanted the woman to be her mom, but she found it embarrassing that Shelby might also hear about the bullying she endured or bad behavior. Somehow it felt unnerving to be so exposed.

That didn't change Rachel's mind, of course, about wanting Shelby in her life. She just wasn't sure if she should feel like she could let her guard down anymore or that she needed to work harder to make sure the woman didn't find those things out. What if she didn't like her as much? Shelby Corcoran was cool and class personified and Rachel couldn't even begin to compare. But she didn't bring those worries up to her fathers; it was something she wanted to work out for herself.

When the talk ended, Rachel had hoped that LeRoy would give her the phone back, but he made no move to retrieve it from his pocket and she knew from past experiences that asking for it would only prolong it being returned to her. Instead, she left the office and wandered up to her room to finish up some homework she didn't complete before dinner. She didn't even hear anyone knocking on the door.

LeRoy answered the front door and found Kurt looking up at him from the other side. He stepped aside to let the boy enter and shut the door behind him.

"Hello, Kurt," LeRoy greeted. "What can I do for you this evening?"

"I was hoping I could talk with Rachel," Kurt said. "I know we've had our differences of opinion and misunderstandings in the past, but today really was my fault. We had talked about pictures she had of New York City and she said I'd be able to see them so I didn't think it would be a big deal to look at her phone."

"Kurt, I'll give you a piece of advice," LeRoy clapped him on the back and led him into the kitchen. "Granted that I don't live with an adult woman nor am I attracted to them, there are some basic rules to keep in mind. I have three older sisters so I'm well versed in this."

"Listen to him on this one," Hiram added as he poured Kurt a glass of water and handed it to the boy.

"A woman's phone is like her purse," LeRoy said. "Don't ever look in it without permission. And even if you're given permission, don't look in it. Wait for her to find what she's looking for and show you. Because you never ever know what you're going to find in there. And the bigger the purse, the scarier it is. There could be anything in there, son. Anything at all. So don't just look. You have to wait until she's ready. Do you understand?"

Kurt was looking at him skeptically, but nodded anyway. "Can I talk to Rachel?"

"Oh sure," LeRoy said. "She's up in her room. Here, give her this." He pulled Rachel's phone out of his pocket and handed it to the confused kid. "Remember, don't look inside."

"Ok," Kurt mumbled as he took the phone and left the room.

Hiram was staring at LeRoy like he was crazy. "Phones are like purses? Seriously?"

"When I was a kid my mom told me to get her keys out of her purse one time and I stuck my hand in there blindly and I swear I felt something grab my arm and try to pull me in," LeRoy said.

"What does that have to do with him looking at Rachel's phone?" Hiram asked.

"I was explaining to him about respecting privacy and being careful because he could see something he doesn't want to see," LeRoy explained.

"And you couldn't just say that?" Hiram asked.

"I was trying to make a metaphor," LeRoy countered.

"But phones and purses?"

"Oh whatever," LeRoy said. "Come on, I recorded a soccer game this afternoon. Let's watch it."

Hiram followed his husband to the living room joined him on the couch. "Does this mean I should never look through that man purse you carry around sometimes?"

"It's a messenger bag," LeRoy said. "It's not the same thing at all."

"Well it's certainly an improvement over the fanny packs you used to love," Hiram said. "Rachel and I threw a party the day you decided to move on from those things."

"You never said you hated my fanny packs!" LeRoy was scandalized.

"I did, actually, numerous times," Hiram said. "I remember having to open it up to get your wallet out one time. I wish I had known about the purse rule then because I never would have-"

"Oh shut up," LeRoy said. "The game is starting."

"Your fanny, on the other hand, I have always greatly admired."

"Shhh."

Kurt made his way to Rachel's bedroom and knocked on the doorframe. "Rachel?"

Rachel looked up and narrowed her eyes at him. "Kurt."

"I'm sorry," Kurt said as he stepped into the room and handed the phone over. "Your dad said to give this to you."

Rachel happily took the phone back and immediately started to check her email and messages.

"Rachel, I don't understand," Kurt said as he sat down in the other chair at the desk. "I know you said you met her, but I didn't know you ended up at her house. How do you know Shelby Corcoran? And why can't you tell me?"

Rachel looked up at him and saw the curiosity in his eyes. She really didn't have much of a choice but to tell him now because he knew something was up. She thought about lying and saying that Shelby was a friend of the family, but she honestly didn't think he would believe that. If that was the case, she would have bragged about it ages ago during one of the numerous Shelby Corcoran conversations they've had. Besides, Shelby had said that if Rachel felt she could trust someone, she could tell them. Of course, she was supposed to tell her and her dads first, but she could do that later.

"Kurt, you have to promise that you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you," Rachel said solemnly. "You have to swear."

"I swear," Kurt said immediately.

"No, I mean it," Rachel said. "This is important and it has far reaching implications for my family. I'm not playing."

"Are you ok?" Kurt asked. He realized it sounded almost odd coming from him because in all of their spats and the makeover fiasco, he didn't remember being too concerned with her feelings. But he could tell that something was different.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Rachel said. "Do you promise?"

"Yeah, I promise, Rachel. I won't tell anyone," Kurt said.

"Not even Mercedes and Tina," Rachel said. "I know how big of a gossip you are."

Kurt wanted to be offended, but he knew it was true. "I won't tell them," he said.

"Or your dad?"

"I won't tell anyone," Kurt said.

"Ok," Rachel said. She took a deep breath and looked him right in the eye. "Shelby Corcoran is my mother."

Kurt just stared at her in shock and Rachel was convinced she could have knocked him over with a feather.

"Kurt?"

"What? How? Are you- Seriously?"

"That was pretty much my reaction too when I found out," Rachel said.

"How long have you known?"

"Just a couple weeks," Rachel answered. "She was the surrogate my dads hired to have me. After I was born she left for New York City and the rest is history."

Rachel explained to him about finding the envelope and contract and pictures and then how she waited at the stage door to meet her. Then she told him about getting to be backstage with her and then spend the night at her apartment.

"Oh my god," Kurt said. "Who would have thought Rachel Berry could have such a cool mother?"

"I'm sitting right here, you know?" Rachel reminded him.

"Sorry," Kurt said quickly. "I just can't believe it. When are you going to visit her again? Better yet, when is she coming into town to visit you? I have to meet her. You have to introduce us."

"I'm not sure," Rachel answered. "I'm going to try and convince her to come and watch us at Regionals. That's why I was trying to get Mr. Schue to listen to me. It has to be perfect, Kurt."

"Oh my god, she might see us perform!" Kurt squealed.

"I know!" Rachel was giddy as well. She was really glad she had told Kurt because she liked getting to have this friendship with someone.

"I'll start working on ideas right away," Kurt said.

"Good," Rachel said. She stopped herself from saying that it would be nice to not be the only one of the kids trying to plan out routines. "We need to get started the very day we get back from the break."

"I agree." Kurt thought for a moment and then asked in a more serious voice, "Is it really going to be that long before you see her again?" Kurt didn't know what finding your mom felt like, but he knew what it was to miss one.

"I don't know," Rachel answered quietly. "I hope not. My dads and Shelby keep saying that they're working on all of that, but I don't know. I asked if we could stay longer in New York, but we had to come home. I wish I could have stayed there for the entire break."

"Maybe you can fly out there for a long weekend or something," Kurt offered. "Or she could come here."

"But she has the show," Rachel said. "I guess she could take time off, but I couldn't ask her to. It's Broadway! Who wants to take a day off?" The dream versus the reality was still just far enough away for Rachel to not see past the glamour to the job part of it.

"You should ask her about it," Kurt said. "A few days away from it would be ok, right?"

"I don't know," Rachel said.

"How was she live?" Kurt changed the subject for Rachel's sake.

"She was amazing!" Rachel gushed. "It's so hard to even describe how great she was. "You should hear her sing live."

"I plan on you making that happen when she comes here," Kurt said.

"Wait a second," Rachel mused as she picked up her phone. "Maybe you won't have to wait that long." Rachel was dying to show her mother off.

It was quarter until eight when Shelby's phone started to ring and she smiled when she saw Rachel's name pop up on her screen.

"Hi, sweetie," Shelby answered. "You got your phone back, huh?"

"Yeah," Rachel turned a little red. "I know you have to go on in a few minutes, but I wanted to get to talk to you before then since I wasn't able to call earlier." She put her finger to her lips to indicate for Kurt to keep quiet and then set her phone to speaker and put it on the desk.

"I've got a few minutes," Shelby assured her. "How was the rest of your day?"

"It was fine," Rachel said. "Mom, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Shelby said with a smile. Her heart still fluttered a bit at being called mom.

"Will you sing for me?"

"Right now?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah," Rachel answered. "It was a long day and I've still got homework to do and I miss you."

"Of course I'll sing for you," Shelby melted. "Do you have a song in mind?"

"Anything you want," Rachel told her. "Something from the show, maybe."

"You go it," Shelby said.

There was a brief pause and then Shelby's strong, clear voice came through over the phone. It was the same song Rachel had listened to after finding out the truth in the basement. She looked up and her eyes locked with Kurt's. His had gone wide as he listened to the woman he was such a fan of sing to them. He noticed Rachel's eyes fill with tears and he wasn't doing very well at keeping his own at bay.

Shelby held the final note of the song and then let it taper off and Rachel took a second to find her voice.

"Thank you, Mom."

"Anytime," Shelby said. She didn't know the impact she'd just had. "I love you Rachel, but I've got to run. I'll talk to you later."

"I love you too," Rachel said. "Bye."

The line clicked dead and Rachel gave Kurt a watery smile.

"Wow," Kurt breathed out.

It was really the only word that truly fit that moment.

**A/N – Thanks for reading everyone! Please leave me a review if you can. I promise that I am going to do my very best to update sooner. Sorry again about the delay. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – Here's an update! Thank you all so much for your reviews and messages and for reading. I appreciate all of the feedback and support so much. **

**Also, I included a song in this chapter. I'm not normally one for writing out all of the lyrics of a song, but I did this time. I'm not sure how many people would know it and I really thought it fit in with how Rachel is feeling and I wanted to include it all. I mention more about it in the author's note at the end.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

Kurt and Rachel eventually moved off the subject of her mother as they hung out in her room. Of course that didn't happen until he asked her again when she would be seeing Shelby or when the woman would be coming to town to visit. Rachel was just as frustrated as he was that she couldn't give him any solid answers. She'd really like to know what the plans were as well. She was really considering asking her fathers again if she could go and spend Christmas with Shelby. If not Christmas, why couldn't she go the week afterwards until the New Year? She didn't know how much a last minute flight to New York City would cost, but surely her mother could afford it. She was a huge star and she did say that she'd been putting money into an account for her for years. Rachel figured she could just use some of that money. Maybe Shelby could take her to Time's Square to watch the ball drop! That would be so awesome. Ok, Rachel needed to figure out how to ask for all of this and she needed to do it soon.

The kids were working on some homework together when LeRoy came upstairs a little before nine and told Kurt that it was time he got home. Hiram was waiting to drive him home and Kurt agreed because his curfew was nine. They said their goodbyes and Rachel couldn't believe that she was actually reluctant for Kurt to go. It was nice having a friend around. They'd talked and laughed a lot even after the conversation moved away from Shelby. They seemed to have a lot more in common than either of them had ever wanted to admit.

Rachel's phone rang again at 10:20, just after she'd finished brushing her teeth as she was getting ready for bed.

"Hey, Mom," Rachel answered. "How was your show tonight?"

"Hi. It went really well," Shelby answered. "How are you feeling?"

"What?" Rachel was confused.

"You said when we talked earlier you said you'd had a long day and still had homework and-"

"Oh yeah," Rachel cut her off. "I'm fine."

"Did you get all of your homework done?" Shelby asked.

"Yes, Mom," Rachel rolled her eyes.

Shelby paused in her dressing room and smiled. Did she hear a hint of annoyance on Rachel's voice? Was that the tone Rachel used with her fathers when they asked her about her homework? Shelby hoped so. "Good. What did you have to do?"

"History and geometry and stuff," Rachel said. Who cared about any of that?

"Oh," Shelby said. "I love history. It was one of my best subjects so if you ever need any help with anything, I'd be happy to see what I could do."

"You're a history nerd?" Rachel laughed.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Shelby was enthusiastic. "History is fascinating. It was my minor in college. I love documentaries. I was so excited a few years ago when the History Channel asked me to narrate a documentary on the origins on musical theater."

"I saw that!" Rachel said.

"I thought I knew a lot about it, but I learned so much," Shelby said. "They actually called me back a few months ago and asked me to narrate a new piece on the Women's Suffrage movement. I'm really looking forward to it."

"I bet it'll be great," Rachel smiled.

"I hope so," Shelby said.

A woman who works at the theater poked her head into Shelby's dressing room and tapped her watch. Shelby nodded her acknowledgement and held up a finger to tell the woman to give her a minute. She knew that there were still a ton of people out there waiting for her to come out of the stage door. It wasn't that she had been taking a long time, but Shelby knew the theater wanted to close and they tried to hurry things along, especially in the winter because of how cold it could get.

"Listen, honey," Shelby continued. "I know this has been short, but I need to get going and you need to get to bed." A quick glance her watch told her it was after 10:30 and she'd told Hiram earlier that evening that she wouldn't keep Rachel from getting to bed on time.

"I'm not all that tired," Rachel said.

Shelby smiled, "But I still have to get going. I've still got to do the stage door and then grab something to eat on my way home."

"Oh," Rachel said. "Of course."

"And you should probably still get to bed," Shelby added.

"Fine," Rachel huffed good-naturedly. She knew it was true. One of her dads would probably be up any minute to make sure she'd gotten into bed and she didn't want to risk her phone being taken away again.

"Sleep well, sweetie," Shelby said. "I love you and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"I love you too, Mom," Rachel said. "Goodnight."

Rachel was having trouble getting to sleep and she tossed and turned until just after midnight. The next day was the last day before the Christmas break and Rachel knew it would pretty much be a wasted day, or at least a laid back day. And her mind was racing with how she could convince her parents to let her go to New York and spend some more time with Shelby. There was a whole week between Christmas and New Year's and she didn't understand why she had to spend it in Lima doing nothing. Well, ok, her family had plans, but she wanted to do this more.

Rachel reached over to her bedside table and picked up her phone and had to squint against the light it put out when she unlocked it. She assumed Shelby would still be awake so she sent off a quick text message.

"Hi, Mom."

Shelby was lying comfortably on her couch in sweats and reading over some notes they would be discussing the next day at a morning rehearsal. She was startled when her phone chimed and she jumped and then reached for it. She was surprised to see who it was from and responded quickly.

"Rachel? What are you doing up?"

"I can't sleep," was the reply from her daughter. "I told you earlier that I wasn't tired."

"I'm sorry you can't sleep," Shelby wrote. "But you need to try. You've got school in the morning."

"I'll be fine," Rachel brushed it off. "It's the last day before the holiday break."

Shelby wasn't sure what to say to that. If she wasn't tired, she couldn't force the girl to sleep. But was texting with her encouraging her to stay up? Shelby tried to think of how it would be if Rachel was at her house and couldn't sleep. She imagined waking up and finding Rachel sitting in the kitchen drinking some water or something. They'd have a conversation then, right?

"What are you doing for the holiday?" Shelby asked.

"Just family stuff," Rachel responded. "We get together with Dad's family for Hanukkah and with Daddy's for Christmas. What are you doing?"

"The show," Shelby answered. "We work out our holiday schedule in advance so that the maximum amounts of people get time off. I usually decide to the show during the holidays anyway. There's always a lot of tourists in town." Shelby wasn't quite sure how to say that people come to see the star humbly so she didn't say anything. But it was true and everyone knew it.

"Don't you ever get lonely during the holidays?" Rachel asked. This was her way in.

"Sometimes," Shelby even shrugged as she was typing. "But I keep busy and carry on as normal."

"I bet New York City on New Year's Eve is a lot of fun," Rachel said.

"It's a lot of madness," Shelby said.

"I want to be in Times Square one year for it," Rachel said. "Have you ever done it?"

"Once, ages ago," Shelby said. "Never again."

Rachel frowned at that answer, but pushed ahead anyway. "You could come with me when I do it. I'm sure dad and daddy wouldn't want me to go alone."

Shelby shut her eyes in a momentary realization. Of course. Now she understood what Rachel was looking for. "We'd have to see. Plus you'll be 16 next year."

Rachel frowned even more. "Maybe we could go this year."

Shelby's eyebrows raised and she kicked herself again. She knew where this was going and she was not ready to deal with it on her own.

"If I was there with you," Rachel continued on. "I could come after Christmas and stay until New Year's and be home in time for school."

Shelby sat up on her coach and stared at the phone for a second. She had no idea how to respond to this. She was pretty sure Hiram and LeRoy had already told her no when they were here in the city and she was fairly certain that the men didn't know that Rachel was choosing the middle of the night to ask again. Shelby didn't want to give her the impression that she couldn't come because if the Berrys said yes, she'd love to have her. But this wasn't really her decision to make. And she did have other plans. None that she was willing to discuss with her brand new teenage daughter, but she did have them. She could cancel them if she needed to, but she didn't think it would come to that.

"Rachel, have you talked to your dads about this?" Shelby asked.

"Not yet," Rachel answered. "But if you already agreed to it, it would be easier to get them to say yes. I want to spend some time with you."

"I want to spend time with you too," Shelby said. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I will call your fathers tomorrow and talk to them."

"Do you promise?" Rachel was hopeful. Shelby would make it happen.

"I promise," Shelby replied. "And now you need to get some sleep." She had to get her off the phone before she promised to try and get her to the moon as well.

"I'm still not tired," Rachel said. She'd never really stayed up late and covertly texted with anyone. It was kind of thrilling and naughty at the same time.

Shelby sighed again. What did she say? Think like a mom, Shelby. She started to think back to what her mother would say and she shuttered. Don't think like your mom, she corrected herself.

"Sweetie, it's past your bedtime," Shelby wrote. "Please try and go to sleep." She sent it and then groaned. Now she sounded like she was talking to an eight-year-old.

Rachel scoffed at the notion of having a bedtime at her age. She simply went to bed at a time _suggested_ by her fathers. She was about to argue some more when a yawn surprised her. She looked at her clock and saw that it was 12:47.

"Ok," Rachel reluctantly agreed. "I'll call you tomorrow. Don't forget to talk to my dads."

"I won't," Shelby said. She was quite pleased with herself that Rachel was doing what she asked. "Love you. Get some sleep."

"Love you too," Rachel wrote back. She snuggled under her blankets with the knowledge that her plane ticket to New York City was as good as purchased now that Shelby would be asking if she could come. It didn't take her long to fall asleep at all.

The next day in school Kurt invited Rachel over to his house to have dinner and so they could really start working on ideas for Regionals. Rachel jumped at the chance and was delighted when she called her dads and they told her she could go. She went straight to Kurt's after school and the Berry men enjoyed a dinner by themselves. Hiram wanted to grill out, but LeRoy talked him out of it because of the cold. They were just cleaning up when Shelby called.

"Hey, Shelby," LeRoy said when he picked up the phone.

"Hi," Shelby said.

"What's up?"

"I need to talk to you and Hiram about something," Shelby answered. "Rachel and I talked last night and she not so casually mentioned that she would like to come to New York and spend the week after Christmas up until New Year's with me."

"Oh, did she?" LeRoy said. "Hang on; I'm going to put you on speaker." Once the phone was set so that both men could hear, he continued. "What did you tell her?"

"I didn't really know what to say," Shelby confessed. "I don't want her to think that I don't want her here, but from what I saw in New York when you were here, she already asked and was told no. You said you guys have plans."

"We do," Hiram said. "She knows that."

"Do you have plans?" LeRoy asked.

"Yeah, kinda. But I've also got the show to do every day," Shelby said. "I can get her tickets every night or she could hang out in the dressing room. Do you think she would get bored with that?"

Both men started to laugh and Hiram said, "No, trust us. She wouldn't get bored. She'd be too excited for her own good."

"And she wants to go the Times Square on New Year's Eve," Shelby said.

"Ugh, that's all on you, Shelby," LeRoy said. "We did that once. Never again."

"Thanks," Shelby deadpanned. "But I will go if she wants to."

"That's good to know," LeRoy said. "But not this year."

"Oh," Shelby said. Truth be told, she was disappointed.

"I know that she would rather go and see you, but she knows we've got plans for this week. We're going to have a lot of family in town," LeRoy said. "I understand this entire situation has made everything short notice, but it can't happen now."

"Yeah," Shelby said. She really did understand.

"But next year, she's all yours for the Christmas and New Year's holidays," Hiram said. That was weird to say. They'd never once considered not spending that time without their daughter.

"Thanks," Shelby said. "I have an idea of when I'd like to see her. If it works out for you guys." Shelby didn't think that was too bold a move. They kept telling her that Rachel was her daughter and she was the mom and, well, she wanted to see her sooner rather than later.

"What's your plan?" Hiram asked.

"January will be the year mark in my show for me," Shelby said. "So I'm due to be able to take a few days off after we settle back in from the holiday rush."

"Do you want her to fly out there and spend a long weekend with you?" LeRoy asked. He and Hiram nodded at each other. That would work.

"Actually," Shelby said, "I was thinking that I could come to you guys and see her there. It would be nice to get to see her room and school and all that."

"You want to see her in her natural habitat," Hiram said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Shelby smiled. "I want to take the pressure off of her."

"That's a really great idea," Hiram said. "She needs to stop thinking of herself as a fan and she needs to start seeing you as her mom all the time."

"Yeah. I think it's getting better though," Shelby said.

"And most of that progress will be gone if she goes back to New York City and watches your show every night," LeRoy said. "She can go back to that once she understands you're just another uncool mom of a teenager."

"Thanks," Shelby laughed. "I've already tried to tell her I wasn't very cool."

"Didn't believe you, did she?"

"Nope."

"Don't worry, she'll get there," LeRoy said. "It took a while for her to stop thinking that Hiram was cool, but she finally saw the truth."

Shelby laughed and Hiram huffed. "Whatever," he said. It was a good impression of their young daughter.

"But," Shelby said to bring the conversation back, "don't tell her yet. I need to finalize the dates I can take off and I think it would be fun to surprise her."

"Our lips are sealed," Hiram said. "Just let us know when you have the dates."

"And I'll start looking for a hotel," Shelby said.

"Nonsense," LeRoy said. "You'll just stay here with us."

"Really?"

"Of course, silly," Hiram said.

"Thanks!" Shelby smiled brightly. "And I better run. I'll leave it to you guys to tell Rachel she can't come."

"Sure, take the easy way out," LeRoy accused. They were the ones that were going to have to live with the sulking, over dramatic teen for the next week. Well, it certainly wouldn't be the first time.

Kurt was walking Rachel out so she could head home and the teens had stalled on the porch to talk some more. They had made song lists and other ideas for Regionals all evening. They even got Burt interested during dinner.

"I can't believe you're going to get to spend New Year's Eve in New York City," Kurt said.

"Well, it's not official yet, but I know, I can't believe it either," Rachel beamed. "I wonder how many times I'll get to see her show."

"I wish I could see it just once," Kurt lamented.

"You will," Rachel assured him. "I bet she won't mind me bringing a friend at some point."

"I'm nervous just thinking about it," Kurt said.

Just then Burt came out of the house with his keys and wearing a jacket. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

"I can walk, Mr. Hummel," Rachel said.

"It's just going to get darker the longer you two stand here and talk and it's freezing tonight. Come on," Burt said.

Rachel smiled and accepted the offer and they climbed into the truck. She agreed that the warm ride was better than a cold walk.

Rachel was, as expected, upset when she got home from Kurt's and was told that no, she wasn't going to spend a week in New York with Shelby. She had argued and cried and then stomped up the stairs to her room. She wanted to tell Kurt so she would have someone to commiserate with, but she was too embarrassed to tell him just yet. Her mom was supposed to tell her dads she wanted Rachel there to visit, so why didn't it work? She pouted until she fell asleep. She even missed Shelby's texts after the show to say goodnight.

Shelby was sad as she stared at her phone. It was thirty minutes since she'd sent her last text message to Rachel and the girl had still never responded. Shelby hated the idea that Rachel was mad at her. She sighed and pocketed the phone and headed out from the theater to meet some friends for drinks. It wasn't until the next afternoon that they were able to talk. Shelby tried to explain and Rachel said she understood, but Shelby wasn't convinced. There wasn't much else she could do though and so she tried to change the subject so they could talk about something else.

Rachel let her pout go by Christmas morning. There was a package waiting for her downstairs from Shelby and her fathers agreed to let her open it before the rest of the family arrived. Rachel stared in awe as she pulled out a framed _Wounded Heart_ poster signed by the entire cast and creative team. Shelby had wanted to get her more, but she hadn't had much time and so she hoped Rachel would like this.

"Wow," Rachel said reverently. Shelby had included a letter explaining about every one that had signed it and where their signature was.

"That's pretty awesome," Hiram said. "I bet no one else has the autograph of the director and music team and producers plus all the actors all in one place." He was reading over Shelby's letter as he said it. This poster was probably worth so much money.

"I know just where I want to hang it too," Rachel said.

She carefully carried it to her room and leaned it up against the desk. She would hang it up in a few minutes. Right now she needed to call her mom.

Shelby blindly reached for her phone when it started to ring. She pulled it close to her face and squinted one eye open so she could see who it was. She sat up and rubbed her face when she saw that it was Rachel. She should have known because of how early it was.

"Hello," Shelby answered as she got up out of bed and reached for a robe to wrap around her body.

"Hi, Mom! Merry Christmas!" Rachel said brightly.

"Merry Christmas," Shelby said, though not quite as enthusiastically. "Can you hang on one second?"

"Sure," Rachel said.

"Who is it?" the other occupant of Shelby's bed asked as he rolled over lazily.

Shelby pressed the phone tightly against her chest so Rachel couldn't hear and looked over at her friend Brian. Boyfriend? Maybe at some point. Like she'd told Rachel when the girl had seen the flowers in her dressing room that night; it's complicated.

"I need to take this," Shelby said to him. "I'll be back. Go back to sleep."

"Ok," he said and his eyes were already fluttering closed.

Shelby stepped out into the living room and settled down on the couch and reached for a blanket she could pull over herself and then went back to the conversation. "Hey Rach, Merry Christmas!"

"Mom, this poster is so amazing!" Rachel gushed. "I love it so much."

"I'm so glad, sweetheart," Shelby said.

"I'm sorry all I was able to get you was a card," Rachel said.

"Don't be," Shelby said. "I loved it. And I loved the pictures." Rachel had included a couple of school pictures for her mom.

Rachel smiled widely on her end and started talking some more about the poster and who all had signed it. She eventually moved on to what they would be doing for Christmas. LeRoy's parents and one of his sisters and her family would be there for four days. It was crowded and chaotic, but Rachel assured her that it was usually a lot of fun.

"What are you doing today?" Rachel asked.

"I'm just going to relax until the show," Shelby said. "We have a nice celebration at the theater."

"I hope you get lots of good presents," Rachel said.

"I already got the one I always wanted this year," Shelby said.

"I love you, Mom," Rachel started to choke up.

"I love you too, sweetie. Please don't cry," Shelby said, her voice betraying her.

Rachel agreed to call her later and fill her in one what other presents she received and how the family was doing. She took a few minutes to wash her face again before going back downstairs to her dads. Shelby stood up and walked to her window and looked out at her perfect view. The snowy Manhattan skyline was bucolic and comforting. She couldn't wait to see her daughter again.

Shelby eventually returned to her room and shed her robe and crawled back into bed with Brian. She snuggled up close to him and asked him to hold her. He complied and pulled her close while grazing light kisses along her neck to her shoulder.

"Merry Christmas," Shelby whispered. His only response was to continue his trail of kisses.

The three Berrys agreed to not tell any of LeRoy's family about Shelby. They had never really met her years ago when she was pregnant and it would just be easier to keep the news to themselves until they were ready to be more public with it.

Rachel eventually had to break the news to Kurt that she hadn't been allowed to go to New York City during the break. He couldn't believe it either and joined her in sulking for a little while. Now they were back to square one as to when Rachel would get to see Shelby again. The boy joined her at her house for a sleepover on New Year's Eve and they watched the ball drop and sighed. Kurt watched as LeRoy kissed Hiram at the stroke of midnight and smiled. He wished he had have been paying attention to Rachel's family long before this because in the short time that they had become friends, Kurt had grown to greatly admire her fathers. He had so many questions that he wasn't sure he'd ever be comfortable talking to his own father about. He wasn't ready to talk to the Berry men either, but he liked that they were there. They gave him hope.

Rachel received a text from her mother right at midnight that said, "Happy New Year, baby!"

She returned the happy wishes and then her phone rang in the middle of everyone singing "Old Lang Syne" as Hiram played the piano. Rachel stepped away from them and into the kitchen to answer it. She heard her fathers encouraging Kurt to sing the chorus by himself as she pressed the answer button.

"Hi, Mom!" Rachel said.

"Hi, sweetheart," Shelby replied. "Are you having a fun time tonight?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Kurt's here and we all watched the ball drop together. Dad and Daddy are enjoying the chardonnay and Kurt has been giving them style tips. What are you doing?"

"I'm at a party," Shelby answered. "Some of my friends throw it every year."

"Sounds like fun," Rachel said. She was a bit dejected at not being there, but there was always next year, right? It wasn't even really about the holidays to her; she just wanted to see Shelby again.

"Next year I'm all yours," Shelby told her. She'd grown a little bit better at sensing Rachel's moods over the phone and she knew her daughter was still upset about not being able to be there. She knew that she'd be in town in just six days to see Rachel, but they were doing so well at keeping that secret from her and Shelby wasn't about to spill the beans now.

"Can I come and visit you during my spring break?" Rachel asked. That still seemed like a long way from now. "Or before?"

"I would love that," Shelby said. "But we can't figure that out tonight, sweetheart. Let's give it a few days so I can take a good look at my show schedule. But I will see you soon, I promise."

"Ok," Rachel said.

She stayed in the kitchen by herself for a few minutes after their conversation had ended. She was so frustrated and tired of hearing that they'd see each other soon. That wasn't an answer. Why couldn't her parents just talk and figure out some dates and set it in stone? Rachel hated the indecision of it all. None of this was fair. It wasn't fair they kept the secret for her entire life and it wasn't fair no one could be bothered to come up with a plan. Her parents just didn't seem to get how hard this was on her. She was so glad she had told Kurt because she didn't know what she would if she didn't have someone she could talk to about this. In her annoyed state, she was even glad that she hadn't told any of her parents yet that she'd told someone else. They could just figure it out later.

On the first day back to school, Mr. Schue assigned them all to come up with a song about something they want. He told them it could be silly or serious, but he wanted to show them how songs could put into words things you sometimes can't say. Rachel knew the song she wanted as soon as he finished explaining the assignment. She raised her hand and told him she would be ready the next day. Her announcement was met with plenty of eye rolls and a nod from Mr. Schue.

Rachel stood confidently in front of the group the next afternoon and they all looked at her expectantly. There was no doubt that they loved to pick on her, but most of them secretly liked to hear her sing. They'd deny it to the grave though.

"My song is called "The Glamorous Life" from the classic Broadway show _A Little Night Music_," Rachel said. "The daughter of the main character is singing about her mother being away."

"But you don't even have a mother," Finn said. His face was etched with confusion.

"Finn," Mr. Schue admonished lightly and then turned his attention back to Rachel who had ducked her head. "Ok, Rach, we are anxious to hear it."

Rachel stood up straighter and nodded confidently at Brad who started to play the piano for her. Rachel's strong voice soon filled the room and everyone was paying attention.

_Ordinary mothers lead ordinary lives:  
Keep the house and sweep the parlor,  
Mend the clothes and tend the children.  
Ordinary mothers, like ordinary wives,  
Make the beds and bake the pies and wither on the vine.  
Not mine._

Dying by inches every night,  
What a glamorous life!  
Brought on by winches to recite,  
What a glamorous life!

Ordinary mothers never get the flowers and  
Ordinary mothers never know the joys.  
Ordinary mothers couldn't  
cough for hours, maintaining their poise.

Sandwiches only, but she eats what she wants when she wants.  
Sometimes it's lonely, but she meets many handsome gallants.

Ordinary mothers don't live out of cases  
But ordinary mothers don't go different places,  
Which ordinary mothers can't do,  
Being mothers all day.  
Mine's away in a play  
And she's realer than they.

What if her broach is only glass  
And her costumes unravel?  
What if her coach is second class?  
She at least gets to travel.

And sometime this summer, meaning soon,

_She'll come traveling to me.  
Sometime this summer, maybe June,_

_I'm the new place she'll see._

Ordinary daughters may think life is better with  
Ordinary mothers near them when they choose.  
But ordinary daughters seldom get a letter enclosing reviews.

Gay and resilient, with applause,  
What a glamorous life!  
Speeches are brilliant  
If they're Shaw's,  
What a glamorous life!

Ordinary mothers needn't meet committees,  
But ordinary mothers don't get keys to cities.  
No, ordinary mothers merely see their children all year.  
Which is lovely, I hear.  
But it does interfere  
With the glamorous...

I am the princess,  
Guarded by dragons,  
Snorting and grumbling and rumbling in wagons.  
She's in her kingdom  
Wearing disguises,  
Living a life that is full of surprises.

And sometime this summer she'll come galloping over the green.  
Sometime this summer, to the rescue, my mother the queen!  
Ordinary mothers thrive on being private,  
And ordinary mothers somehow can survive it,  
But ordinary mothers never  
Know they're just standing still  
With the kettles to fill  
While they're missing the thrill  
Of the glamorous life!

Kurt had tears in his eyes when the song ended, but he quickly brushed them away. Rachel's eyes were filled too and she ducked her head once again as Mr. Schue led a round of applause.

"That's was wonderful, Rachel," he told her. "Very moving."

"But I still don't understand," Finn said.

"Shut up, idiot," Mike said.

Rachel took her seat and Kurt patted her shoulder and she gave him a half-hearted smile. She wanted to see Shelby. Even the kids in the club who usually had a biting remark for her, didn't say anything terrible to Rachel. Santana couldn't imagine not having her mother around and Quinn had always wished to have a closer relationship with her own mother. If Finn were to look past the obvious, he would know that he had the same longing about his father. Kurt would give anything to see his mother again.

"Ok, guys," Mr. Schue said, "Rachel has set the bar really high for this assignment so please put your best into it. I can't wait to see what you all come up with."

Rachel went off to school that Thursday morning just as Shelby was landing in Columbus. Hiram and LeRoy offered to pick her up, but Shelby opted to rent a car and drive. She loved to drive but didn't do it very much in the city. Plus she just liked having her own transportation. It would give her a chance to take Rachel out without any hang ups about whose car she was taking or anything like that. Hiram took half a day off to meet her at the house and helped to get her settled in the guest room.

"Want to take a peek at Rachel's room?" he asked.

"No, I'll wait for her," Shelby smiled.

They ate lunch and then he showed her around the house. This wasn't the same place they had lived when she was pregnant; they had moved into this house the summer Rachel was four. Shelby had a good time looking around the house and seeing all of the pictures of Rachel. Part of her wanted to ask if they could pull Rachel out of school early just so she could see her, but she didn't ask. She did ask, however, if she could pick the girl up that afternoon.

"Are you sure?" Hiram asked. "People will probably recognize you."

Shelby shrugged, "I just want to see her. I'll deal with any questions."

"She'll be thrilled to see you," Hiram said. "She has glee after school, but I know she won't mind you hanging around for that."

That afternoon, he gave her directions to the school and said he would be there waiting for them to get home. Shelby found the school without any problems and found the door Hiram said would put her closest to the choir room when she entered.

Rachel was making her way towards the choir room when she was stopped by Kurt so they could talk before they got to glee. Quinn and Santana were standing by the lockers gossiping when they looked up and saw someone turning the corner.

"Is that?" Santana asked.

"Shelby Corcoran?" Quinn finished. They had seen a couple of her movies and had heard both Rachel and Kurt drone on about her in the past. Judging by the movies they'd seen, they both agreed that Shelby was pretty awesome. Plus she was beautiful and elegant. Even now as they watched the woman rounding the corner while perching her sunglasses on top of her head, they both admired her greatly.

"What is she doing here?" Quinn asked. Nothing exciting ever happened in Lima, Ohio and so both girls were determined not to miss their chance to meet the only star that would probably ever come to their cow town.

Shelby stopped and smiled when she saw Rachel down the hallway. She knew people were looking at her and she could hear the whispers, but she didn't care. It was so wonderful to get to see Rachel again.

"Oh my god!" Kurt exclaimed as he looked down the hallway.

"What?" Rachel asked as Kurt backed away from her to lean up against the wall.

Rachel followed his eyes down the hallway and gasped when she saw her mother standing there. She smiled widely and lifted her arm to wave. Her action was cut off though when Karofsky and Azimio suddenly tossed their slushies in her face. She was hit with grape and then cherry and the boys never even missed a stride as they continued down the hall high-fiving each other.

The silence after the attack didn't last long because a scattering of laughter started, including from Santana and Quinn. Shelby had stopped her stride in shock at seeing two boys throw their drinks at her daughter. Rachel didn't move from her spot and her chin trembled as tears formed her in eyes even before she opened them and looked across the distance of the hallway and met the eyes of her mother.

**A/N – Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you all liked this chapter. Please leave a review. **

**I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about **_**A Little Night Music**_**, but I love "The Glamorous Life." The only version I know is the one Audra McDonald sang in a concert honoring Stephen Sondheim. I'm going to put a video of her singing it on my tumblr page so please check it out. Or just look on youtube. It's a beautiful song and Audra McDonald is amazing. Thanks, guys! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N – I'm so, so sorry for the delay. I wish I had a good excuse, but I've just been so super busy at work and that carries over when I have to bring it home and continue to work here. I have days where I feel like I never get to stop. I should be getting a bit of a reprieve soon. So please stick with me. I can't thank you guys enough for all of the reviews and for reading. It really does mean the world to me. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Rachel could feel the icy drinks making their way under the neck of her shirt and down her body. She kept her gaze trained on Shelby and she could see the woman's look of shock and confusion. Shelby had stopped dead in her tracks; not that Rachel really blamed her. It's not like Shelby knew how unpopular she was before. Rachel could hear the people laughing around her and in this moment she wanted nothing more than for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

Shelby watched in horror as Rachel's face registered hurt once more as someone called out that she was a loser. She hadn't known Rachel very long, but Shelby could see the shame and embarrassment written all over her daughter's face as the girl shivered and broke her gaze to look down at the floor.

The crowd of kids was still laughing as Shelby quickly crossed the distance so she could get to Rachel. Quinn and Santana were still smiling as they watched Shelby start to move. Brittany was walking towards them but Shelby pointed to her and told her to go and find a teacher. Brittany gave her friends a questioning look as she stepped past them and headed towards the choir room to get Mr. Schue. The girls weren't going anywhere because they were too curious to find out what Shelby Corcoran was doing.

Shelby pulled her left arm into the sleeve of her jacket as she was walking and didn't hesitate in her actions when she reached Rachel. She cupped the back of Rachel's head with her right hand and used the sleeve covering her left hand to wipe some of the slushie from the girl's face. Kurt was still standing against the lockers as he watched and noted to himself that Shelby's jacket cost over $500. Probably not anymore.

"Honey," Shelby cooed as she wiped again at Rachel's face, this time being sure to clear some of her tears away as well.

"Shelby?" Rachel said softly, but still didn't look back up at her. Rachel had the presence of mind to remember that Shelby being her mom was still a secret.

Shelby frowned and then pulled Rachel to her and held her tightly. "What is going on?" Shelby rubbed her back to try and soothe her.

Quinn and Santana's smiles had faded somewhat and they glanced at each other and furrowed their brows at Shelby's actions. Why was she hugging Rachel Berry of all people? Especially after she'd been slushied? Quinn sobered a bit when she saw just how upset Rachel was. Now that she had been kicked off the Cheerios she knew what it was like to be slushied. It was a horrible feeling.

"Nothing," Rachel said. "I just got slushied is all."

"Is all?" Shelby asked. "Has this happened before?" She was incredulous.

Rachel didn't say anything and just kept her eyes trained on the floor. She hadn't even moved enough to wrap her arms around her mother and just let Shelby support her. Shelby looked around at the group that was now staring at them and listened to the casual laughter that still played on some people's lips and understood that this was not the first time this had happened to her girl.

Shelby's eyes landed on Kurt and she asked, "Has this happened before?"

Kurt looked at Rachel who still wouldn't look up and nodded sadly. He'd been slushied a couple times, but Rachel got it a lot. It was as if he was just now realizing that these were the emotions Rachel always hid so well. She usually held her head high as she retrieved clean clothes from her locker. It hadn't ever really occurred to him that her confidence may turn to tears when she was alone in the bathroom.

"She probably has clean clothes in her locker," Kurt said.

"Kurt," Rachel scolded sadly. There wasn't really any use in hiding it now, but it felt just as bad to have it verified out loud for Shelby.

"You're Kurt?" Shelby softened her look for the boy as he nodded. "She's told me a lot about you."

"She's told me a lot about you too," Kurt said with an affirmative nod when Shelby gave him a questioning look.

Shelby understood immediately that this boy knew the truth and she felt Rachel stiffen in her arms.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said softly through fresh tears. "I know I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

"Hey, it's ok," Shelby said. She kissed Rachel's forehead as she tried to reassure her. "It's fine, Rachel."

"I didn't tell anyone," Kurt added.

"Thank you," Shelby said. "Do you know who the boys are that did this?"

"Yes," Kurt confirmed.

"Good. Will you go and get the principal so we can tell him," Shelby instructed.

"No," Rachel said. "It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is," Shelby said. "This is completely unacceptable."

"But-"

"Can I help you?" Will asked when he stepped out into the hallway with Brittany following him. He passed the other kids who were still watching. A glance at Santana and Quinn was met with innocent shrugs. "Oh my god," he said when he got closer and realized who it was. "You're-"

"Rachel Berry's mother," Shelby cut him off loudly and clearly so everyone in the hallway could hear and understand her.

There was a gasp and the three members of glee who lingered were not the only ones whose jaws dropped in shock. Kurt covered his mouth and tears formed in his eyes because he knew the implications of revealing the secret. Rachel's eyes went wide and she finally lifted her gaze from the floor and stared at her mother. Shelby looked at her with a calm and reassuring smile and kissed her head once more. Shelby even spared a quick glance at the kids who already had their phones out and had been taking pictures of her.

"You're… Rachel's mother?" Will asked in disbelief. "I'm sorry, I thought you were Shel-"

"Shelby Corcoran. I am," Shelby said.

"I'm Will Schuester, her glee coach," Will said, still in awe. "It's nice to meet you." He held a hand out that she didn't take because she was still holding her daughter.

Shelby wanted to start in on this man about slushies and how he had completely ignored the kid who had been attacked thus far, but she knew she had to keep her senses about her so she could get them out of the spotlight and away from the instant media of the hallway.

"Can you escort us to the principal's office?" Shelby asked. "I need to talk with him to make sure that this is the last time this type of bullying happens in this school." She did make sure to say that for all of the phones and cameras. That was a sound bite that she was ok with getting out.

"Uhh, sure," Will said. He turned back to the hallway and so he could address all the students. "All of you need to move along now. And you three need to get to the choir room he said to the trio of Cheerios that were still watching. I'll be there soon." He puffed out his chest as he took control of this situation. "Follow me."

Shelby shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes as she and Rachel started to follow after him. "Come on, Kurt," she said to the boy when she noticed him lingering.

"Mom," Rachel said softly. "I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I just want to get changed so I can get to glee practice."

"It is a big deal, Rachel," Shelby said. "Do your dads know this is happening?"

Rachel nodded. "They've come in to talk with Principal Figgins and he keeps telling them he's trying to make the slushies stop, but it hasn't so far."

"Yeah right," Kurt chimed in. "Like they're ever going to do anything about the slushies. The popular kids love it and no one else matters."

Shelby pursed her lips and kept her comments to herself for the moment.

"Mom, your jacket is all messed up now," Rachel said as she tried to pull away from her mother.

"It's fine," Shelby said. "I'll have it cleaned."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said.

"This is not your fault," Shelby told her. "I'm going to call your dad so that he's here for this."

"No," Rachel whined. "It's going to take forever if you do that. Why can't we just skip it so I can change and go to glee?"

Shelby stopped walking and stared at her daughter for a second and tried to figure out why she wouldn't want anything done about this. "Honey-"

"It's not going to change anything," Rachel said. "We're just wasting time."

Shelby honestly didn't know what to say to that. As a mother, even as new as she was to that role, she was furious and heartbroken on her child's behalf. She thought back to herself in high school and knew she probably would have started a fight if someone had done this to her. She probably would have lost, but that's not the point. Why didn't Rachel want to fight back?

"Hello!" Principal Figgins said as he rushed out of his office to greet them. It was clear that someone had tipped him off about there being a star in his school.

"Principal Figgins, this is Shelby Corcoran," Will introduced them.

"It's wonderful to meet you," Principal Figgins smiled warmly at her.

Shelby knew that smile. He was ready to do anything for her because she was a star. He didn't seem to care at all about the cold child standing right next to her.

"Principal Figgins," Shelby said. "I'm sure you know my daughter, Rachel."

"Your dau- What? I mean, of course I do," Principal Figgins said.

"I figured you did," Shelby said. "Because I know that this is not the first time she's been assaulted in your school and I know that her fathers have talked to you about it."

"Oh. Umm, yes. Her fathers and I have spoken before," Principal Figgins said. He was a bit flustered.

"Well as you can see, it has happened again," Shelby said. She noticed as Principal Figgins looked down at Rachel and seemed to really notice her for the first time.

"Yes, it looks like it has. Umm-"

"Kurt was there and witnessed it," Shelby continued. "Kurt, please tell Principal Figgins who it was."

"Karofsky and Azimio," Kurt said.

"Why don't we go into my office," Principal Figgins said. This conversation was getting away from him and he needed to try and get some sort of control back.

"Mom," Rachel whined again.

"That's a great idea," Shelby said. "I just wanted you to see that an atrocious act had been committed against one of your students, but I won't keep them. Rachel and Kurt are anxious to get to their glee rehearsal. And I want Rachel to get cleaned up as soon as possible." Shelby turned to Rachel and smiled for her. "Sweetheart, you go ahead and get cleaned up and then go to glee. I'll only be a minute."

Rachel gave her a skeptical look, but finally nodded.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Schuester," Shelby said.

"Oh, uhh. Did you need anything else?" Will asked.

"No," Shelby said. "Thank you."

"Ok. Ok, Kurt let's get to glee," Will said.

Will and Kurt walked away and Shelby quietly asked Rachel which bathroom she was going to change in before letting her walk off. She followed Principal Figgins into his office and didn't bother taking a seat when it was offered to her.

"I'm going to make this quick since, as you can imagine, I'm anxious to get back to my daughter. This will be the last time Rachel or anyone else is assaulted in such a manner in your school," Shelby said. Figgins was so caught off guard he was stuck halfway between standing and sitting in his chair at the desk. "I know for a fact there were students filming me in the hallway when I came in and saw Rachel so I imagine news that involves your school is going to break very soon. I would hate for the only thing people find out about the school is that it's a safe haven for bullies and that the children aren't protected, even after repeated meetings with their parents. Katie Couric is a personal friend of mine and I'm sure she would love an exclusive about bullying and your methods as an administrator and disciplinarian, or lack thereof. So unless you want camera crews crawling around here for all the wrong reasons, I suggest you start to act. You can start with finding the boys who did that to my daughter and making sure they are dealt with accordingly. I'm going to check back in with you tomorrow to see what progress you've made. And if I ever hear of something like this happening again, I can promise you that you won't even get a warning call because when I pick up the phone it'll be to call the news."

Principal Figgins just stared at her and all he could do was nod.

"Wonderful," Shelby said. "Thank you for your time." And with that she was gone.

Figgins finally sat down and took a breath. Once he processed everything he had just been told, he turned to his computer and started to pull up the files of the two boys he knew to be tormentors.

When Shelby got into the hallway she quickly pulled out her phone and called a number. "Meredith," she greeted when her publicist answered the phone. "Remember that thing we talked about just before Christmas? We're going to need a statement." She listened for a second and then said, "I'll give you all the details in a little while. But it's coming." Shelby thanked her and then hung up the phone and dialed a different number. "Hiram."

"It came out, didn't it?" Hiram asked.

"I had to," Shelby said. "There was no other choice. I wasn't going to pretend I wasn't her mother. You didn't see her face."

"Shelby," Hiram said in a calm voice. "It's fine. We'll deal with it."

"Ok," Shelby sighed in relief. "I'll fill you in on all the details when we get home." He told her again not to worry about it before they ended their call.

Hiram put his phone down next to him on the couch and leaned his head back and shut his eyes. Things were about to change.

Shelby found the bathroom easily enough and was surprised to see that it opened up into a larger locker room. Well, that made sense she supposed. She could hear the shower running and so she sat down on a bench and waited for Rachel to be finished.

Rachel appeared close to ten minutes later in clean clothes with wet hair. She didn't say anything to Shelby as she stepped past her and up to one of the sinks so she could plug her hair dryer in. Shelby couldn't get Rachel to meet her gaze and it made her so sad to think about her daughter needing to bring a change of clothes to school.

"Rachel?"

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked and then shut her eyes because of how harsh it sounded. "I mean, I'm happy to see you, but how are you here? You have your show."

"I wanted to surprise you," Shelby said. "I took a few days off from the show. Your dads and I have been planning it for a couple weeks now. I've been wanting to see you so badly."

"Me too," Rachel said. "Thank you for coming out here. But I can't believe you took time away from the show."

"Just a few days," Shelby said. "It's ok to do so. Especially for you."

Rachel could only nod before turning back to the sink.

"What did you say to Principal Figgins?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing much," Shelby said. "He assured me that this won't happen again and he knows he can expect consequences if it does."

"Consequences?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," Shelby said. "But I don't want you to worry about it, ok? Just promise me you'll tell me if it happens again."

"You don't have to worry about it," Rachel said.

"I will worry about it," Shelby said.

Rachel sighed heavily, but stayed silent as she finished up.

It didn't take Rachel long to get ready and she was soon packing up all of her stuff so that it could be returned to her locker. Shelby took the bag from her and carried it as they left the room.

"Are you ok?" Shelby asked as they walked together in the empty hallway.

"Yeah," Rachel smiled for her. "I'm fine."

"Rachel…"

"Honestly, Mom," Rachel said. "It's fine. Will you come to glee with me?"

"I wouldn't miss it," Shelby smiled for her and let the subject of the slushie drop. She didn't know how Rachel could care so little about it. She'd been in tears earlier.

The choir room was buzzing when they entered, but it didn't take long for the noise to stop and soon all eyes were focused on them. Rachel tried to pretend that she didn't notice all the attention as she led Shelby into the room and they sat down. Shelby just followed Rachel's lead and smiled at the girl doing her best to pretend that everything was perfectly normal right now.

"Rachel," Will said. "Why don't you introduce us to your guest." He couldn't keep the smile off his face. He was a huge fan of Shelby's. He didn't know the hows or the whys about how Shelby Corcoran was Rachel Berry's mother, but he assumed he'd hear about all of that later. But right now there was a huge star in his choir room and he was ecstatic.

Rachel stood up and walked to the front of the room and turned and smiled at everyone. "As some of you may have heard earlier, I have someone very special visiting with me right now. My mom." Her voice wavered and her eyes filled with tears.

Rachel looked over at Shelby and everyone else in the room did the same. The woman was seated on a chair on the risers and offered a small wave. She could see the questions about to explode from them.

"So wait," Santana said. "All this time you've had a mom who happens to be a movie star and into all that Broadway crap you like and you never shared it with anyone? I don't believe it." She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. No way was this true.

"Yeah, Rach," Finn said. "You're always talking about your dads, but never a mom. Not until you sang that song the other day."

Shelby looked at Rachel and raised an eyebrow. She wanted to know what song Rachel sung to the class. Rachel smiled at her but then ducked her head in an embarrassed manner.

"I think she's just been lying to us," Quinn said. She turned in her seat and looked at Shelby. "How did she get you to come out here and do this? Why would you want to hang out with Rachel of all people?"

Rachel rolled her eyes at Quinn's words. She never quite knew where she stood with the girl. Sometimes she thought they were making strides and sometimes it felt like they were back at square one.

Quinn kept the glare in her eye because she wasn't about to admit that she was going to be insanely jealous of Rachel if this turned out to be true. Rachel has two loving fathers and now she gets a famous mother on top of it? Quinn didn't even get to have parents anymore and she had no idea what to do about this baby.

Shelby narrowed her eyes at the blonde girl and her scowling cheerleader friend next to her. She was surprised to see them in the choir room because she had watched them laugh at her daughter not more than an hour before. Shelby stood from her spot and walked to the front of the room to stand by Rachel.

"It is not a lie," Shelby said. "And Rachel hasn't been keeping something from any of you. I am Shelby Corcoran and I am her mother. It is going to come out in the press soon, but I will give you an abridged version right now. I was the surrogate that was chosen by her fathers to carry Rachel for them. She only recently discovered who I was and we met just before Christmas. She didn't know I would be here today; I flew in this morning to surprise her for a weekend visit. But I don't want to take up anymore of your rehearsal time and I'd love to see what you are all working on."

Rachel beamed at her looked to Mr. Schue to start the practice. She desperately wanted to be able to show off right now. However, everyone started talking at once to ask questions. Shelby held up her hands and smiled and everyone started to quiet down. Rachel was taking mental notes because Shelby knew just how to work her audience.

"I know you all have questions, but that's enough from me right now," Shelby said. "Like I said, everything is going to be coming out soon and you will all know. I just want to get to watch you guys as a normal mom."

The questions started again and Shelby looked to Will in hopes that he would take control of his practice.

"Ok, guys," Will said as he stepped to the front of the room. "Let's give Ms. Corcoran some room to breathe. We need to get started on some of our numbers."

The kids were admittedly nervous as they worked on some songs, but Will was just as on edge. Shelby was a professional and he wanted to impress her with his teaching abilities. They were all trying way too hard. Kurt was practically shaking and Santana and Quinn stood up straighter as they went through their moves. Mike tried to make sure every step was on point. Maybe Rachel's mom could introduce him to some choreographers in New York City. For her part, Shelby was just happy to sit back and watch. She kept a critical eye out of it and was proud to watch her daughter. Shelby was in awe to find out how much Rachel was like her even though she hadn't been there for her entire life.

"Guys," Will said as the practice neared its end. "I hope you can help me talk Ms. Corcoran into singing for us while she's here."

There was a collective nod of excitement and the kids all looked back at Shelby who shook her head.

"No, not today," Shelby said. "I couldn't possibly follow up after your wonderful performances." There was a groan, especially from Kurt. "But if you'll let me, I'd love to sit in again tomorrow and I promise I will sing for you then."

"We're going to hold you to that," Will said with a nervous laugh and a huge smile.

Shelby picked up Rachel's school bag and waited as she said goodbye to everyone. Kurt stayed by Rachel's side the whole time.

"I wish I had something for her to autograph," Santana whispered to Quinn and Brittany.

"Me too," Quinn whispered back.

"Want to hit up the store and see if we can find something?" Santana asked.

"Sure," Brittany said and Quinn nodded.

Shelby narrowed her eyes at the group of girls once more as she watched them. She was already planning to have a little chat with those girls about laughing at her kid before left town.

Rachel led the way out of the choir room and back towards her locker so she could get her dirty clothes. She was embarrassed once more as she retrieved them but held her head high like she wasn't bothered.

"Do you need a ride home, Kurt?" Shelby asked.

"I usually just walk," Kurt said quickly. "I can just- It's not very far." She had him flustered.

"We'll give you a ride," Shelby said. "It's pretty cold out."

"Thank!" Kurt gushed.

"I'd love to get to chat with you some more," Shelby said as they walked towards the car. "Rachel has told me about you. Maybe we can do lunch or dinner sometime this weekend, just the three of us."

"Really?" Kurt squeaked.

"Yeah," Shelby smiled. "We'll talk about whatever you guys want. I'll answer all your Broadway questions."

"Really?" it was Rachel this time. She and Kurt shared a wide smile.

"Absolutely," Shelby said. She understood that she had to let them get it out of their system. "But tonight I'm all Rachel's and her dads."

"Oh of course," Kurt said. "That's understandable. Obviously." He gave a nervous laugh as he got into the back of the car.

It didn't take long to get to Kurt's house and then Shelby and Rachel were home. While Rachel went to greet her fathers, Shelby checked her phone for the first time since she'd made those earlier calls. She'd silenced it so she wouldn't be interrupted from watching Rachel at glee. Just as she suspected, she had multiple missed calls and voice mail messages. The number of emails and texts she had to read were also increasing. She sighed and put the phone away. She would have to deal with that a little later.

Shelby walked into the kitchen and greeted the men who had just started with dinner.

"Rachel was just telling us how you surprised her at school," Hiram said as she walked into the room and leaned against the counter.

"I did," Shelby said. "I'm so happy to see her."

Rachel smiled and said, "I can't believe you guys have been planning this behind my back. But I'm so excited. What are we going to do while you're here?"

"Whatever you want," Shelby answered.

"You're going to school tomorrow," LeRoy said before Rachel could even open her mouth to say something.

"Yes, after school," Shelby said with a laugh as Rachel slumped her shoulders.

"Well, I will have to think on it," Rachel said. "If you had given me advance warning, I could have planned something out."

"We can wing it," Shelby said.

"I'm not very good at winging it sometimes," Rachel admitted.

"You'll do fine, sweetheart," Hiram chuckled. "Why don't you take your bags upstairs and get them out of the way? Do you have any homework?"

"Not much," Rachel said. "I can do it lat-"

"Go ahead and knock it out," Hiram said. "You'll probably be done before dinner."

"Fine," Rachel huffed as she turned to leave the room. She stopped at the doorway and looked back at Shelby. "Mom, maybe you can help me with it."

"Sure," Shelby smiled. "Give me ten minutes to make a phone call and I'll be right up."

"Ok," Rachel said and she left the room.

"She's wearing different clothes," LeRoy said to Hiram once Rachel was up the stairs and out of ear shot.

"I know," Hiram sighed. "We need to set up a meeting for tomorrow. This has got to stop."

"You're talking about the slushies," Shelby said.

"She told you about them?" LeRoy asked.

"I saw it happen," Shelby said. "I had just gotten there. Two boys did it and it was awful. She was so hurt and embarrassed."

"It happened three times before she actually told us," Hiram said. LeRoy and I have been in to talk with the principal twice now."

"I don't think you'll need to do it again," Shelby said. "I went to her, of course, and there were a bunch of kids taking pictures and video on their phones and I said that I was Rachel's mother. Some of those kids were still laughing at her. But I don't get it because she didn't want to tell the principal. She kept saying she didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

"Rachel does her very best to keep her head held high at school," LeRoy said. "She only lets it bother her when she comes home. Knowing that you saw it would have upset her."

"She was crying," Shelby said.

LeRoy and Hiram shook their heads and shared a look. "Rachel has a bit of an image problem. She wants so badly to be popular and well-liked, but she has never been one of the popular kids. She is picked on and bullied, as you saw. We are doing our best to stop it, but the school is no help and she would rather pretend it never happened and pretend not to be affect by it."

"I think she's worried that you won't like her as much if she's not popular," Hiram said.

"What?" Shelby breathed out.

"You're her idol, Shelby," LeRoy said. "She wants to impress you. I know she was mortified."

"She doesn't have to impress me," Shelby said.

"She just doesn't understand that yet," LeRoy said. "She will though."

"I'll talk to her later," Shelby said.

"You did make her tell the principal, right?" Hiram asked.

"Yes. And then I sent her away and threatened the principal and the school," Shelby told them.

"What did you say?" Hiram asked.

"I reminded him that his school is probably about to be on the news and then I told him that my personal friend Katie Couric would love an exclusive about the bullying that he encourages by doing nothing."

"You're friends with Katie Couric?" LeRoy asked, full of excitement.

"We're more acquaintances than anything else," Shelby said. "But I'm sure I could get her interested in a story like that. Anyway, the principal promised to take care of the boys who did that to her and put a stop to it all together. I told him that I would be checking in with him tomorrow to see what progress has been made."

"Well done, mama bear," Hiram said.

"Thank you," Shelby couldn't stop her smile.

"So what do we do about the news of you being her mom getting out?" Hiram said.

"I called my publicist, Meredith, earlier and I've got about a million messages from her, I'm sure," Shelby said. "We can put out an official statement explaining everything and asking for privacy for the family. That won't work, of course. It'll probably help if we agree to an interview with someone. Or one magazine and one television news. 60 Minutes or something."

"Do you think it's already out?" LeRoy asked.

"If one of those kids in the hallway stuck it online it might be," Shelby said. "Meredith will be able to tell me and we can go from there. If it's already out, we should do a statement sooner rather than later. In this case, it'll be best to cut the gossip off before it has a chance to get going."

"Ok," Hiram said. "We'll follow your lead on this."

"I'm sorry we weren't more prepared," Shelby said.

"You were defending your daughter," LeRoy said. "Our little girl. You did the right thing. We'll deal with everything else as it comes."

"Hey, did you make your phone call yet?" Rachel asked as she walked into the room with a basket of laundry. "I'm just going to start this load and then I'll finish up my homework."

"Sounds perfect," Shelby said. "I'll be up to help you."

"I'll hurry," Rachel said as she continued on her way to the basement to get to the washer and dryer.

Shelby had to put off calling Meredith again because Rachel was back in a flash and the woman followed her up so she could get her first look at her daughter's room. It was pretty much everything she imagined. Rachel showed her around and pointed things out, including the brand new poster she'd received for Christmas.

"And this must be the infamous eBay poster," Shelby said when she stood in front of the poster of herself that Rachel had won.

"Mom," Rachel flushed red.

"It's a good poster," Shelby said. "That's one of my favorites I ever released."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yep," Shelby said. "And the autograph looks legitimate."

"It is," Rachel said. She was certain of it.

"Ok," Shelby decided to change the subject. "Show me that homework."

"Mom," Rachel whined.

No one brought up the slushies or Shelby's discovery of the bullying for the rest of the night. They enjoyed a great dinner together and Rachel reveled in Shelby's attention. Shelby thought she could see her starting to relax, but not completely. She wanted Rachel to really let her guard down, but the incident at school seemed to have rejuvenated the girl's attempts to make sure her mother thought the best of her.

Shelby and the men decided it would be best not to bombard Rachel with any details until they were sure of them themselves. Rachel knew that something was up with them and she could only assume that it had to do with her mom telling everyone that was watching that she was her mother. She knew the news would be getting out soon, but she didn't really know what to do about it. Besides, bringing up her worries meant she'd have to bring up what happened that afternoon and she didn't want to do that.

Rachel did not want to have to go to bed that evening, but tried not to put up a fight or whine about it. She didn't want to be seen as acting like a child. Shelby asked Hiram and LeRoy if it would be ok if she talked to Rachel for a little bit before she went to sleep. They agreed and Shelby knocked on Rachel's bedroom door fifteen minutes after the girl had gone up.

"Come in," Rachel said.

"Hey," Shelby said when she opened the door and peeked in.

"Mom?" Rachel asked.

"I wanted to talk with you for a few minutes before you went to bed," Shelby said as she stepped in the room and closed the door behind her.

"Oh? About what?"

"Rachel, this afternoon-"

"It was nothing," Rachel said. "It doesn't bother me."

"Honey, yes it does," Shelby said. "And that's ok. You should be bothered. That shouldn't be happening to you."

"But it does," Rachel shrugged, but Shelby could tell she was losing some of her bravado.

"Not anymore," Shelby said.

"Maybe I won't be such a loser now that people know you're my mom," Rachel said quietly.

"Oh honey, you are not a loser," Shelby said as she stepped forward and engulfed the girl in a hug.

"Yes I am," Rachel said as she latched onto her mother. "You saw. You know it now too."

"Rachel, I do not think that about you," Shelby said.

"But I am," Rachel said as tears welled in her eyes. "Most people don't like me. I want you to like me."

"I love you, sweetheart," Shelby said. She cupped Rachel's face in her hands and looked her in the eyes. "You are perfect exactly as you are. I want you to be yourself around me. Let me know my beautiful baby girl."

"But you're so perfect and amazing," Rachel said. "Don't you want a daughter that's more like you?"

"I don't want anyone but you, no matter who you are," Shelby said. "I'm not perfect or amazing. I'm just Shelby. I'm just your mom."

"But that's not all you are," Rachel said.

"It is all I am," Shelby said. "My job is awesome and we can talk about that all you want. But I want you to try and remember that there is more to me than being an actress and a singer. Just like there is more to you than how some of your peers see you. I don't want you changing anything about yourself for me. You are not a loser. You do not deserve to be bullied. You are insanely talented and beautiful and I love you so much, but I don't need you to be on or poised or trying to please or impress me all the time. I want you to be the good kid I know you are. Please just relax, Rachel."

"Ok," Rachel nodded through her tears and she hugged Shelby once more. She could actually feel some of the pressure lifting from her shoulders.

Rachel crawled into bed and asked Shelby to sit with her for a while. Shelby sat up against the headboard and ran her fingers gently through Rachel's hair until she fell asleep. Once Shelby was sure she was sleeping, she got up and made sure Rachel's blankets were in place and then quietly left the room. She stepped into the guest room where her stuff was for a little bit of privacy and pulled out her phone and finally called Meredith back.

"Hey," Shelby said. "Sorry for the delay. What's going on?"

"Rumors are already starting to circulate," Meredith said.

"I figured," Shelby said. "You have a statement ready?"

"Yeah," Meredith answered. "I emailed it to you. Look it over and get back to me as soon as you can. I can get it out in the morning."

"Ok. Who has the rumors?"

"Nothing major yet, but a videos have surfaced on YouTube," Meredith said. "So that's Rachel, huh? What happened? What is she covered in?"

Shelby shut her eyes as the realization hit her. She didn't know why, but it hadn't really occurred to her that people would see Rachel covered in slushie. Of course they would. She knew that was just going to make Rachel feel worse. How could she not have thought about that before?

"A couple of idiots tossed their frozen drinks at her," Shelby answered.

"Jesus," Meredith said. "Kids are so awful towards one another sometimes."

"I know," Shelby said. "Please add something to the press release about Rachel being strong and rising above the bullying she endures. She thinks she's a loser."

"I'll take care of it," Meredith said. "I'll add it to the draft and email you again."

"Ok," Shelby nodded. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," Meredith said. "And don't worry about; everything is going to be fine."

"I know," Shelby said. She hoped.

**A/N – Again, I'm very sorry about the delay. I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review if you can. Your feedback means so much to me. Thank you all so much for your support and I'll have a new chapter soon. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N – Sorry about the delay in getting this one out. I had it written and saved on a server that crashed and I had to wait for it to be fixed to get to it. But here it is. Thank you all so much for all of the reviews and for continuing to read. I appreciate it so much. You guys are awesome. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

Rachel put the finishing touches on her outfit before she stepped out of her bedroom Friday morning. She'd already been up for an hour so she could go through her elliptical routine and shower and now it was time to go and get some breakfast. She heard that people were up downstairs and she knew that both her dads were probably waiting on her to have breakfast. Was her mother down there too? Rachel looked at the closed door of the guest bedroom and thought maybe she should have a look just to be sure. She didn't want her mother to miss breakfast, after all.

Shelby didn't even stir when her bedroom door was opened ever so slightly. Rachel peeked in and sighed when she saw that the woman was still asleep. Maybe she just didn't know what time breakfast was. She opened the door a little wider hovered in the entryway.

"Mom," Rachel whispered. "Hey, Mom."

Shelby didn't move.

"Mom," Rachel was a little louder this time.

"Rachel!" Hiram said as he walked up behind her.

"Ahhh!" Rachel screamed as she spun around and put her hand to her heart.

Shelby jumped at the sound of Rachel's yell and sat up in bed and looked around wildly as she tried to figure out what was happening.

"You scared me!" Rachel said.

"What are you doing?" Hiram said. "Let your mom sleep."

"She'll miss breakfast," Rachel argued. Neither of them noticed that Shelby was sitting up and looking at them.

"She didn't go to sleep until late," Hiram said. "Now come downstairs; your dad and I need to talk to you."

"Guys," Shelby got their attention as she rubbed her face in an effort to wake up.

"Mom," Rachel said brightly when she turned back around to look at Shelby. "Good morning."

"Morning," Shelby mumbled.

"Come on, Rachel. Downstairs," Hiram instructed. He gave the woman a sheepish smile as he leaned in to shut the door. "Go back to sleep, Shelby. We'll talk to her."

"No," Shelby said. "I'll be right down."

"Ok," Hiram said. "I'll get a plate ready for you." He left the room as she was nodding at him.

Shelby groaned as she looked over at the clock and saw that it was just before seven in the morning. It was so early. Being on Broadway helped facilitate her night owl preference. But LeRoy and Hiram had been up just as late as she was and they were both up and dressed and ready for the day, though of course they were used to getting up every morning with their child and Shelby certainly was not. She had showed them the press release that Meredith emailed her last night to get their approval and they said they would talk to Rachel about it this morning. Meredith wasn't going to release it until eleven that morning. They did that so that Rachel would already be in school. They knew that wouldn't stop the news from spreading to phones and Facebook, but maybe the school would give her some sort of shelter. They also planned on going into the school early and talking with Principal Figgins and a school board representative to warn them in case the press decided they wanted to show up. Shelby felt guilty about still being in bed and leaving all of that to Rachel's dads so she quickly got up and pulled on some sweats and disappeared into the guest bathroom.

Rachel was busy eating her oatmeal when Shelby arrived in the kitchen a few minutes later. She had taken the time to wash her face and brush her teeth and her hair was thrown up in a sloppy pony tail. She smiled at the sight because Rachel hadn't ever really seen Shelby as anything but put together. By the time she woke up when she was staying at her mom's place in New York City, Shelby was already up and dressed. She guessed she just never really pictured Shelby in sweats with no make-up and messy hair.

"Good morning," Shelby yawned took a coffee cup from LeRoy and reached for the pot.

"Morning," LeRoy said.

"Mom, what are we doing this afternoon?" Rachel asked. "You're coming to see me in glee again, right? You told everyone you would sing. Kurt will be so upset if he doesn't get to see you sing."

"I'll be there," Shelby said. She put a gentle hand on Rachel's head as she sat down next to her at the table. "What should I sing?"

"Maybe something from your show," Rachel said. "Kurt would love that. Or maybe you could do something really classic like something from Barbra. Or you could go for something modern and upbeat. I can help you look for stuff."

"We'll let Shelby figure that out," Hiram said as he joined them at the table. "You don't have time this morning to go and search for songs."

"I've got like twenty minutes before I'm supposed to leave," Rachel said.

"I know," Hiram told her. "And we want to talk to you before you leave."

"Oh," Rachel said as she glanced back and forth between her parents. She started to get a little nervous, but her mind didn't wander to what happened yesterday; she was more concerned that maybe Shelby was here for a different reason. Maybe they had decided that this whole thing wasn't going to work out as well as they thought. But she tried to keep her features neutral. "What is it?"

"Sweetheart," LeRoy started, "a lot of your peers in school took an interest in Shelby when she came to see you yesterday."

"I know," Rachel said. "There was a big crowd around when she told announced to Mr. Schue that she was my mother…" She trailed off and then thought for a second. "You're telling the news, aren't you?"

"Yes," Shelby said. "It's already kind of out there. People were taking pictures and videos with their phones."

"Did they put them up anywhere?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, they have," Shelby answered. "I talked to my publicist Meredith last night and she said she was already starting to get questions."

"But I was covered in slushie!" Rachel said. She looked so despondent that the first look the world ever got of her was right after she'd been bullied.

"I know," Hiram said. They all gave her sympathetic looks. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Meredith sent me a copy of the statement she is going to put out later," Shelby said, "and you can read it if you want. We're also going to include a picture of you so that the slushie image isn't the only one people see."

"What picture?" Rachel asked.

"We were going to use your school picture from earlier this year, but you can pick out another one if you want," LeRoy said.

"That one's fine," Rachel sighed. "What happens after the statement is released?"

"I'll eventually give some interviews," Shelby said. "Once I'm back in New York. A couple of magazines might want to do a story or some news programs. They'll want to meet all of you."

"I'm going to be in a magazine?" Rachel asked. Her eyes were shining at the thought of it. "Which one?" Hiram chuckled and LeRoy rolled his eyes.

"I'm not sure about any of that yet," Shelby said. "We'll take it one step at a time and see how it goes. You just need to go to school today and don't let anyone bother you."

"And don't talk to any reporters," Hiram added. "In case any of them show up at the school. We'll be in this morning to talk to Figgins and then Shelby will be there to sit in on glee this afternoon."

"Ok," Rachel said.

"Do you have any other questions?" Shelby asked.

Rachel was quiet for a second as she thought it over and then asked, "If we're in a magazine do I get to pick out what I wear? Will they give us clothes to wear?"

Shelby looked stunned, but she could tell that Rachel was serious and considered this to be important information. Hiram started to laugh and soon a smile played on Shelby's lips as well.

"Ok, Rach, time for school," LeRoy said. He took her arm and stood her up from the table.

"But I need to know," Rachel said. "I'm going to need to go shopping."

"We're leaving in five minutes," LeRoy said as Hiram and Shelby's amusement grew. "Go brush your teeth." He ushered her towards the stairs and then returned to the table and sat with the other two adults.

Hiram pointed at LeRoy and LeRoy pointed at Hiram. "That is your daughter." They seemed to think for a second and then turned to look at Shelby and pointed at her accusingly.

"No, that is your daughter," LeRoy said. Shelby smiled widely.

Rachel appeared after a couple minutes carrying three blouses and four skirts. "Which do you think is the best color combination to make the pictures really pop in a magazine?"

"Rachel," LeRoy warned and Shelby had to look away in an effort to hide her laughter.

"Daddy," Rachel whined. "This is important."

"You've got two minutes, young lady," Hiram said. "And all of those clothes better be hung back up properly.

"Fine," Rachel mumbled and she turned and trudged back up the stairs. She'd talk to Kurt about it; he'd be more helpful anyway.

Rachel and Kurt stood by the boy's locker after their second period class. She could tell that people were staring at her, but so far no one had approached her or wanted to talk.

"I can't believe you get to be in a magazine," Kurt said. "You have to let me know as soon as you find out which one because we have to plan your outfit. And you can't wear anything you own."

Rachel huffed and shot Kurt a glare. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"We don't have time in between classes for me to explain that," Kurt told her.

Rachel rolled her eyes as she leaned against the lockers and waited for Kurt to be finished making sure his hair was right. A movement down the hall caught Rachel's attention and she stood up straighter so she could get a better look. Two men were pushing something on a hand truck.

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

"I think it's the slushie machine," Rachel said. She knew her parents had been here during first period and talked with Principal Figgins.

"I heard through the grapevine that Coach Tanaka wasn't very happy that Figgins suspended Karofsky and Azimio for throwing the slushies at you," Kurt said. "They can't any practices during the time they're suspended."

Rachel just shrugged. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't pleased by that turn of events. There wasn't anyone happier to see the slushie machine disappear than she was. It served those two jerks right.

"So when's the statement supposed to come out?" Kurt asked.

"Sometime later this morning," Rachel said. "Do you think it'll be weird?"

"I don't know," Kurt answered. "I think word has pretty much spread by now."

"But I heard some people talking about it and they thought it was still just a rumor," Rachel said. "The statement is going to confirm it."

"Yeah," Kurt said.

"Now that she's here and everyone is about to know, I wish we could have at least gotten our weekend together first," Rachel said. "I want to be able to go out and do things with her."

"But she would get recognized regardless," Kurt shrugged.

"That's true," Rachel conceded.

"Maybe we'll both get our pictures taken by the paparazzi," Kurt said with more than a hint of excitement. He hoped Shelby didn't forget about offering to go out to dinner with the two of them.

Rachel couldn't help but smile too as Kurt went back to looking in the mirror in his locker to make sure he was presentable. There was nothing he could do about Rachel's outfit right now, but he was going to make sure he looked fabulous.

Santana, Quinn, and Brittany sat together in the lunch room and all three of them were reading on their phones. It was official; Rachel Berry was Shelby Corcoran's daughter. How was that even fair? A quick look around the cafeteria and the girls could see that a lot of the other kids were glued to their phones as well. The only person missing was Rachel, but it had been a while since she ate in the cafeteria. Somehow or another she always ended up with food on her.

"We need to keep Rachel," Quinn blurted out suddenly.

"What?" Santana asked. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't think I can. My parents won't even let me have a plant," Brittany added.

"I would bet anything that people are all of a sudden going to want to be her friend because she's got a famous mother," Quinn explained. "But we're in glee club and so Rachel is ours. We need to befriend her or at least pretend like we care so we can stay in the loop. Don't you want to be one of the people that gets to hang out with Shelby Corcoran? We can't let any of these people use her like that. She's our teammate after all." She even said it with a straight face.

Santana let a tiny devilish grin play on her lips. "You're right. Come on, let's see if we can go and find her."

The trio of girls saw Rachel and Kurt coming out of the choir room where they had eaten lunch just as the bell to indicate the class change rang. Students started to pile into the halls and many of them noticed Rachel right away. The crowd started to linger and Rachel just glanced at Kurt to see if he had any ideas about what to do.

"Hey, Rachel," Quinn said when she and the others approached the girl.

"Hey," Rachel said. She looked between Quinn and Santana to try and see what the catch was.

"We wanted to come and make sure you got to your next class ok," Santana said.

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"Look at all these people," Quinn said. "They all want a piece of you now. And we're your teammates and we don't want to see you get hurt."

"You don't?" Rachel asked. Kurt was watching with a suspicious glare.

"Rachel, remember when you came to me and told me that I was going to need to have my friends around because of my situation?" Quinn asked. "I now understand how right you were. So I'm going to say the same thing to you. This is huge and you need to have your friends and teammates around. Isn't that right, Kurt?"

"Yeah," Kurt said. Was Quinn being nice-ish to them? Publically? The popular girls were fine in rehearsals and stuff when they let their guards down, but the ice exteriors always came back up, especially on Quinn. He still didn't think he trusted this though.

"Now come on," Santana said. "Let's get to class."

Quinn and Santana linked arms with Rachel and walked confidently down the hallway with her between them. Rachel glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact with Kurt. It was a silent 'you better be following me to make sure this isn't a trick' command and he quickly caught up.

They hadn't gotten very far when they were stopped by the ever annoying blogger Jacob Ben Israel. He seemed to jump out of nowhere and startled Rachel.

"Rachel, why didn't you ever tell anyone who your mother was?" Jacob started to rattle off questions. "Where is she now? Was the slushie yesterday a set up for the news? Where is she now?"

"Back off, loser!" Santana said forcefully when she saw Rachel duck her head to try and avoid him.

Quinn brushed him aside and the small band of glee club members continued down the hall.

"See," Quinn said. "You need us." She and Santana shared a look. They were in there.

Shelby, LeRoy, and Hiram were sitting at the table in the dining room after just finishing lunch. The men were telling her about some of Rachel's more memorable, and embarrassing, dance recitals as a little kid. They promised her they had videos of each and every one of them and she couldn't wait to see them. They all agreed, however, that it would be so much more fun to watch them with Rachel present.

The ringing of Shelby's phone interrupted their laughter and they all got silent as she looked at it to see who was calling. They had been inundated with phone calls ever since the statement from Shelby was released to the pressed a couple of hours ago. Shelby was the lucky one because her number was unlisted and all calls for a statement from her were going to Meredith. It hadn't taken long for the press to find Hiram and LeRoy's number though and their phones had been ringing off the hook. They thought about silencing them or turning them off, but decided not to in case Rachel tried to call. They hoped their girl was doing ok today. Maybe it had been a mistake to send her to school today.

Both Hiram and LeRoy had sent emails to their families that morning to let them know what was going on so that they were surprised by it if they saw it on the news. The replies and calls they received from family had been cautiously supportive, but questioning. LeRoy's mother hadn't spent much time on Shelby at all, but she demanded to know what Rachel had been covered in in that video she saw on YouTube. It had taken LeRoy over thirty minutes to explain all of that to his angry mother. How dare they throw drinks at her granddaughter? Hiram's parents wanted to meet Shelby. They were not so secretly fans of hers. But even they had been a bit skeptical of why this was all happening now. Wasn't Rachel supposed to be 18? With many apologies to Shelby, the men organized a family get together that Sunday afternoon. The grandparents were coming to town.

Shelby looked at her phone and saw that it was Brian calling her and she closed her eyes and scolded herself. Everything had happened so fast that she hadn't even thought to call her boyfr- friend, whatever he was, and tell him that she had a 15-year-old daughter.

"I need to take this," Shelby said.

"Go ahead," Hiram said. He and LeRoy started to gather up their lunch plates as Shelby slipped out the back door and onto the porch.

"Hello," Shelby answered. "Brian?"

"Shelby, what the hell is going on?" Brian demanded to know.

"Brian, calm down," Shelby said. "Let me explain it to you."

"Shelby, this is crazy," Brian said. "You have a daughter? How did you not know that you have a daughter?"

"Brian, I always knew I had a daughter," Shelby said. "Let me explain."

"But I don't-"

"Brian!" Shelby cut him off. "Will you be quiet for a second and let me explain?"

There was a silence. "Yeah," he said.

Shelby took him through the story from the beginning and she started to relax when she could tell that he was beginning to understand. "I didn't hide her from you, Brian," she told him. "No one was more shocked than I was when she showed up. But I have always wanted to be her mother and be in her life and I won't turn my back on her."

"Of course you wouldn't," Brian said. "I didn't mean to yell, I'm just surprised."

"I know. And I wish I had been able to tell you before everything came out, but I just reacted when I saw her being bullied in school and once the ball was rolling there was no stopping it," Shelby said.

"She looks like you," Brian said.

"Yeah," Shelby smiled.

"So where does that leave us?" Brian asked after pause.

"In the same place we've been in," Shelby said and they both sighed. They each wanted so much more and were too afraid to rock the boat. They'd been doing this dance for a long time, ever since they first met ten years ago. They'd get serious and something would go wrong and they'd break up only to drift back to each other and declare themselves just friends before it escalated again. Either Shelby wasn't ready or he couldn't commit yet. Brian would be deliriously happy at the same time she was trying to pull away and hide inside of herself. Shelby would be ready to throw caution to the wind and jump in feet first and he would be too afraid to take the next step. Back and forth, up and down, but never in the same place at the same time. It felt like they were getting there now, but this situation was an entire box of wrenches that neither of them saw coming.

"Ok," Brian said. "We're still doing dinner at my place Monday night when you get home, right?"

"Of course," Shelby said. "I love you Brian."

"I love you too, Shelby," he said sincerely. There was another pause. "I'm glad you found her."

"Thank you," Shelby's voice wavered.

"Don't cry, silly," Brian said and he smiled when he heard her laugh. "I'll see you soon."

Shelby went back into the house after the call ended and she sat back down at the table and leaned back in her chair.

"Everything ok?" LeRoy asked.

"Yeah," Shelby said. "That was my – Brian. I kind of sort of forgot to call and let him know before the news came out."

"Your Brian, huh?" Hiram said. "How well do we like Brian?" He joined them at the table and settled in the story.

Shelby rolled her eyes. "We love Brian."

"So why is he just your Brian?" LeRoy asked.

"It's complicated," Shelby said.

"Why?" Hiram asked.

"Because it is," Shelby answered.

"Like we have to tell Rachel, that's not an answer," LeRoy said.

"We've known each other for ten years," Shelby said. "We date and break up and are friends and date and so on."

"Is he another actor?" Hiram asked.

"No. He's an American History professor at NYU," Shelby smiled. "It always seems like no matter what happens, we can never let each other go. I need him to always be there in my life, even if we're just friends. Right now it's a little more than that, but that label of boyfriend gets stuck on my tongue. He's my Brian."

LeRoy and Hiram smiled at the faraway look in Shelby's eye and the way he mouth twitched upwards when she talked about Brian. Yep, her Brian seemed like the perfect description.

Shelby arrived at the school that afternoon to attend glee club practice as promised and found news crews out front. There looked to be teams from each of the local stations as well as a few photographers. She hoped she could find another entrance. She had seen the local news at noon and they were already at the school reporting from there. To their credit, it wasn't all about Shelby and Rachel, but they had asked Figgins and the head of the school board about the bullying.

Shelby found a place to park and made a quick call to Meredith.

"Hey, how's everything going?" Shelby asked.

"Fine," Meredith said. "Everyone wants an interview and everyone wants to see pictures of you and Rachel together. Three different magazines have called and asked to be able to do an exclusive story. You're going to have to make some decisions. But it can all wait until you get home. But I would advise that you say something else or give a quick interview before you start the show again on Tuesday. The stage door will be unbearable if you don't. And I don't think you should stop going to the stage door because then it just looks like you're hiding."

"I'm not flying in until early Monday afternoon," Shelby said. "Why can't we just give another little statement? I want to try and protect her privacy as much as possible."

"But her picture's already out there," Meredith said. "From the hallway and the one you already released. One of you two together would-"

"Yeah," Shelby sighed. "I'll get one."

"And I'll see what I can set up," Meredith said. "This won't be the big story forever."

"I know," Shelby said. "Thanks."

Shelby slipped out of her car and thankfully went unnoticed as she went in a side entrance away from the cameras that were waiting by the front door. The last class of the day was still in session and Shelby was grateful because that let her make her way through empty halls to get to the choir room.

Shelby heard the piano before she entered the choir room and found Brad sitting alone and playing a beautiful song. She stood back and listened to it so she wouldn't disturb him. She had placed the tune and wanted to hum along, but decided against it so she wouldn't draw attention to herself. She wanted to hear it and not have him stop.

"That was wonderful," Shelby said when he was finished. He turned and smiled at her. "I hope I can talk you into playing for me later when I sing."

Brad smiled and opened his mouth to introduce himself, but was cut off when Will walked into the room.

"Ms. Corcoran, hi!" Will greeted. "You came back! I mean, you told Rachel you'd be here and so I just assumed you would, but I know you must be really busy."

Shelby looked down at Brad and they shared a look of matching mild annoyance before she looked back at Will and nodded, "Yep, I'm here."

"Great! The kids should be here in the next five or ten minutes," Will said. "Please, make yourself at home and comfortable. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine," Shelby said. He smiled dumbly at her. "Is there anything you need to do before your rehearsal?"

"Oh yeah! I've got to get some new music," Will said. "I mean, I have it. I've just got to get it out of my office. So I'll be right back."

"Ok," Shelby said. She and Brad shook their heads as she took a seat and waited for Rachel to get there.

Ten minutes later Rachel walked into the room flanked by Quinn and Santana with Kurt right behind. Shelby was surprised to see the girls looking so friendly with each other because these were the girls that just yesterday were laughing while Rachel was humiliated.

Rachel smiled widely when she saw her mom and broke away from the girls to go and greet her.

"Hi, Mom," Rachel said as she sat down next to Shelby.

"Hi, sweetheart," Shelby said. "Have you had a good day? Is everything ok?"

"It's been a little weird, but fine," Rachel said. "People were staring all day."

"I'm sorry," Shelby cooed softly. "It won't last forever. Did you get any phone calls?"

"I don't know," Rachel shrugged. "My phone is on silent and I haven't checked it all day."

"Oh," Shelby said. "Can I see it?"

"Ummm, sure," Rachel said. "One sec. Are we still going out with Kurt?"

"I was thinking of doing that tomorrow," Shelby said. "I thought about taking you guys to Columbus to go shopping. How does that sound?"

"Great!" Kurt jumped in. "That would be awesome."

"Ok, perfect," Shelby said as Rachel finally pulled her phone from her bag and handed it to her mom.

"Hey, Rachel?" Quinn got her attention as Shelby looked through the multiple missed calls Rachel had. She would go through them with her later to make sure she didn't have anything important.

"Yeah?" Rachel turned and looked at Quinn.

"Is your mom still going to sing for us today?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah," Rachel smiled. "Aren't you, Mom?"

"Sure am," Shelby said without looking up from Rachel's phone.

Rachel beamed and looked back at Quinn.

"That's awesome," Quinn said. "And I heard you've got plans for tomorrow, but I was thinking that maybe you could hang out with Britt and Santana and me on Sunday."

Rachel's mouth fell open in shock as she stared at Quinn. Even Kurt stopped staring at Shelby long enough to turn around and gaze at Quinn in wonderment. Shelby pursed her lips but didn't turn around. What were those girls playing at?

"I, um. With you?" Rachel stumbled over her words. "Really? But my mom is in town."

"I know," Quinn said. "Think about it, ok?"

"I don't know if she'll be able to," Shelby said, finally looking up from the phone and turning around the face the girls. "She already has plans."

"I do?" Rachel asked.

"Yep," Shelby said. "Another time, perhaps."

"Definitely," Quinn said and Santana nodded.

Shelby impressed everyone with her singing and no one batted an eye when Kurt shed a few tears. The glee club agreed to have her back whenever she could be there and Rachel couldn't have been happier with how everyone took to her. Her mom was awesome.

"Mom, I forgot something in my locker," Rachel said when rehearsal was over. "I've got to run and get it."

"Ok," Shelby said. "I'll just wait here for you."

"I'll be right back." Rachel was off in a flash and Kurt went with her.

This was Shelby's chance to talk to the girls.

"Ladies," Shelby said as she approached their little gathering and sat down. They were gathering up their bags.

"Hi, Ms. Corcoran," Santana said.

"You were really great," added Quinn. She wasn't being sarcastic; they all agreed Shelby had been wonderful.

"Thanks," Shelby said. "Can I talk to you three for a second?"

"Sure."

"I'm brand new at this parent thing," Shelby said. "And it's been a while since I was a teenage girl, but I remember what it was like. I didn't like the way you laughed at Rachel the other day when those boys threw those drinks at her. You guys are on a team. You're supposed to be there for each other and protect each other."

"Rachel's not exactly what you'd call popular," Quinn said. "There's a hierarchy."

"I know you think popularity is all that matters right now, but it doesn't mean anything once you get out of high school," Shelby said.

"That's easy for you to say," Santana said. "You're extremely popular."

"I guess I am now," Shelby said. "But I wasn't in high school. I wasn't even close to being popular. I was awkward and I thought I was ugly and I was picked on a lot. And I had parents who didn't understand me or even really try to." Quinn ducked her head. "Do you guys know what it feels like to be laughed at?"

Santana and Brittany turned and looked at Quinn as the girl nodded. Brittany nodded as well and finally Santana gave up the act and joined them.

"Then stop doing it to other people, especially my daughter," Shelby said. "You got that?"

"Yeah," Quinn said. "We're friends now anyway."

"So I've noticed," Shelby said. "This wouldn't be some scheme to get closer to me, would it?" She smirked at their shocked looks. "I wasn't born yesterday, ladies. You want to know the hardest part about being in the business I'm in? It's figuring out who is your friend because they like you as a person and who is just using you because they like you as a star."

"You know, Kurt hasn't always been her friend either," Santana said. "They've only become close recently."

"She's told me about Kurt," Shelby said. "Listen, I'm not saying you guys need to be her best friends or anything like that. But if you stop picking on her and look past all of the superficial crap you think is important, you might find a friend. A true friend. And if not, you'll at least know her and know that every time you laugh at her and put her down, it affects her. So please, knock it off."

"Ok," Quinn said. "I understand."

"I'll be back in town and I hope to make it to the Regionals performance," Shelby said. "I don't want to hear about you using Rachel or anything like that when I get back here."

"Oh!" Quinn said suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Santana asked.

"It moved," Quinn said. "I felt it. That was so weird."

"It?" Shelby asked.

"Her baby," Brittany said.

"Her baby?" Shelby questioned. Her eyes moved down and looked at Quinn's hands that were resting on her stomach. Her baby. Oh!

"Mom, are you ready?" Rachel said when she and Kurt got back to the room.

"What? Oh. Yeah," Shelby said as she turned around to look at them. "I'll see you guys later."

"By, Ms. Corcoran," Quinn said.

"Bye," Santana said.

"What were you guys talking about?" Rachel asked when they got into the hallway.

"Nothing much," Shelby said. "Quinn is pregnant?"

"Yeah," Rachel sighed. "It's a long story."

"Oh?" Shelby asked and she looked at Kurt for clarification.

"It's a classic story," Kurt said. "Girl sleeps with boyfriend's best friend and gets pregnant. Girl lies to boyfriend and says the baby is his even though she's never actually slept with boyfriend. He's a little dense. Best friend is jealous and tells everyone accept boyfriends and boyfriend's not to secret admirer," he pointed to Rachel, "that he's the father. Girl is kicked out of her house by her conservative alcoholic parents. Not so secret admirer tells boyfriend that best friend's the father and boyfriend kicks chairs and storms off. Girl ends up sleeping in best friend's basement. We're not really sure how it ends yet."

Shelby just blinked at him. God, she didn't miss high school.

Shelby dropped Kurt off at his house and then drove back to the Berry's.

"We're home," Rachel said as she went into the living room to greet her fathers. "Mom's taking me and Kurt to Columbus tomorrow to go shopping."

"Wonderful," Hiram said. "Burt said that was ok?"

"Who's Burt?" Shelby asked.

"Kurt's father," LeRoy said. "You did ask him if you could take his son out of town, right?"

"Kurt said it was ok," Rachel shrugged.

"I didn't think to," Shelby said as a blush made its way up her cheeks. She had so much to learn about being a parent.

"I'll call him," Hiram said.

"Did you tell her what we're doing Sunday?" LeRoy asked.

"Not yet," Shelby said.

"She said I have a family thing," Rachel said. "What are we doing?"

"Your grandparents are coming to town to meet Shelby," LeRoy said.

"Oh," Rachel said. "Which ones?"

"All four of them?" LeRoy said.

Rachel's eyes went wide. "All of them?" She cast a sympathetic look at her mother.

Shelby looked back and forth between the two as she tried to read their faces. "What is that look for?"

"Nothing," LeRoy and Rachel said together.

"What did you parents say?" Rachel asked Shelby.

"I, uhh, haven't actually talked to them yet," Shelby said. "I'll call them later." She didn't talk to them very often and she could already hear her mother's berating voice in her ear. Yeah, she would call them later. If she had to.

"Burt said it's ok," Hiram said as he returned to the room. "Kurt will be ready in the morning."

"We were just telling Rachel about how all of her grandparents would be here on Sunday," LeRoy said.

"That's going to be so much fun," Hiram said sarcastically. They loved all of their parents, but the four were hardly together at the same time. The word crazy wouldn't quite go far enough to describe what it's like.

"Don't worry, Mom," Rachel said. "Dad usually buys a lot of wine before they all come to town."

Good, Shelby nodded. She now had a feeling that she was going to need it.

**A/N – That's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please be so kind and leave me a review if you can. Thanks guys! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N – Hey, everyone. I'm really sorry about the delay in getting this chapter posted. My best friend is moving to the other side of the world in a few days and I've been spending as much time as possible with her before she leaves. I'm extremely excited for her, but will miss her so much. **

**Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter. Thank you all so much for your reviews and messages and for reading. It means so much to me. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Shelby made sure to set her alarm for that morning so she wouldn't sleep too long and keep Rachel waiting. Rachel had talked last night about getting an early start and Shelby calculated the drive to Columbus into her decision to get up at 5:05 on a Saturday morning. She sat in her bed for a few minutes in a daze as she tried to brush off the sleep. She looked longingly out at the moon and knew she should still be asleep. But Rachel wanted to go early and if that's what Rachel wanted, she would do it.

Shelby dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom so she could shower and get dressed. She expected to see everyone up and having breakfast by the time she made it downstairs at six so she was surprised when she was greeted by an empty kitchen. There was no coffee ready or breakfast made and most importantly, there were no people. Was this some kind of joke? Shelby decided that she'd take the opportunity to surprise the family and make breakfast for them. They'd probably be downstairs soon.

By 8:30 she was on her fourth cup of coffee and she'd eaten three pancakes and some bacon and only fixed herself some eggs. Everything else was there and waiting but was now cold because the members of the Berry family had yet to appear. Shelby was sitting in the living room watching a weepy Lifetime movie when she finally heard someone on the stairs.

"Morning," LeRoy greeted sleepily. He was just in a t-shirt and sweats. "You're up early. And you made breakfast!" he said as he surveyed the kitchen.

"Don't get too excited," Shelby said. "It's all cold. Rachel said she wanted to get an early start today so I made sure to get up and get ready. But I haven't seen her yet. She was up so early yesterday. You all were."

"She had school yesterday," LeRoy said. "Even Rachel sleeps in on the weekends. But I heard her stirring around. I think she's getting ready to take a shower. How long have you been up?"

"Since 5:05," Shelby said and she frowned when Leroy started to laugh.

"Are you sure you're ready to go out there with her?" LeRoy asked as he poured himself some coffee.

"Of course," Shelby said. "I want to spend as much time as possible with her and she and Kurt are excited about the trip and-"

"I meant because of the news just breaking," Leroy cut her off kindly. "I know no one knows you're going to be in Columbus, but they're looking for you here and it's not going to take very long for people to put it together."

"Oh," Shelby said. "Yeah. If we see anyone I'll handle it. The ability to ignore really is a fine art."

"It won't be as easy for the kids though," LeRoy reminded her. "You're used to it."

"I actually don't get bothered that much in New York," Shelby said. "A picture will show up occasionally, but no one really cares. Even in L.A. it's not so bad. I'm not young and fresh anymore. I'm too boring."

"I think this news is going to make you anything but boring for a while," LeRoy said.

"We'll be fine," Shelby said. "I'll talk to the kids so they know not to engage anyone and to let me handle it. I'm not going to let anything happen to them."

"I know that, Shelby," LeRoy said.

"Good morning," Hiram said as he made his way down the stairs. "Oh, pancakes!"

"They're cold," Shelby said.

Hiram stared at them for a second and then picked one up and took a bite. "Doesn't matter," he said with a mouth full. Shelby laughed as LeRoy rolled his eyes.

Shelby was surprised when she had seen Rachel come downstairs dressed up with her hair done perfectly. The pretty blue dress she was wearing made it look like they were going to a fancy dinner and not to the mall on a Saturday morning. From the short time she had been around the girl, Shelby had gathered that Rachel's view of casual didn't really mesh with everyone else's, but still, this was more dressed up than normal. By contrast, Shelby was in jeans and a sweatshirt and she had donned a Yankees cap and her sunglasses.

Thankfully there wasn't anyone around the house when they went outside to get in the car. She had seen a piece of the news last night about how she was still in Ohio, but Meredith had put out a rumor that Shelby was flying back to New York City early that morning. With any luck, the paparazzi would be waiting at the airport in New York and not stalking them in town. They had kind of met it head on by releasing a picture of Rachel so that the cameras were clamoring to get a shot of her. Meredith had told her that people wanted to see pictures of the two of them together and so Shelby knew once they were caught there wouldn't be any stopping the cameras.

Kurt was ready and waiting and he too was dressed perfectly and Shelby was beginning to wonder if she had somehow forgotten about a conversation they had. Had Rachel mentioned to her that this wasn't a casual affair? Oh well, it was too late now.

"Good morning, Kurt," Shelby greeted when he climbed into the car.

"Good morning," Kurt smiled widely. This was actually happening. He was spending the day with Shelby Corcoran. He had talked his father's ear about her the night before. Burt could probably give a speech about his new found knowledge of the Broadway star.

Shelby told stories and answered questions for the entire ride to Columbus to go to the mall. Kurt and Rachel had no shortage of things they wanted to talk about and she had no problems indulging them. She kept them entertained with stories of backstage antics; abridged of course for her teenage audience, and she gave them information about the things that go on at the Tony Awards that you never get to see on TV. The kids were enthralled. It was official; Shelby might just be the coolest person on the planet.

They were able to park fairly close to the mall and Shelby was pleased to see that there wasn't anyone lingering around. Rationally she knew that that most paparazzi were based in L.A. and New York, but she'd also learned that they could be everywhere. And there was no doubt that some of them had started to make their way to Ohio as soon as the news came out. Rachel and Kurt seemed to be looking around as well as Shelby ushered them into the mall.

The kids were pleased with this shopping suggestion because Lima didn't have anything that resembled a real mall like this. There were enough stores to occupy them for hours. Shelby hadn't understood the way Hiram and LeRoy had smirked at her when they said 'good luck' as she and Rachel left that morning.

"Where should we start?" Shelby asked. They had entered in the center and the mall branched off in five different directions from there.

"Let's go left," Kurt said.

"Right," Rachel said over top of him.

The two kids stepped in opposite directions leaving Shelby to reach out and grab two arms and pull them back.

"Let's stay together," Shelby said and she led them in a direction neither had chosen. Rachel wriggled her arm free and instead clasped onto Shelby's hand with her own. Kurt didn't dare move his arm as he had a silent freak out over the fact that Shelby Corcoran had grabbed his arm and hadn't let go. Best. Day. Ever.

Shelby was recognized in the second store they went in. It was a young teenage girl there with her mom and she timidly asked Shelby for an autograph and picture while Rachel and Kurt were looking around. Shelby obliged with a smile as the girl's mom readied her cell phone and snapped the photo. She could see it as soon as the girl and her mom left. Other people were now staring. She could see them trying to work out who she was. And she knew the moment it clicked.

"Mom," Rachel said as she walked up to Shelby. "Look what I found."

"Do you need one in every color?" Shelby asked as she looked at the five headbands in Rachel's hand. The kid behind the register was trying to look inconspicuous as he snapped a picture of them together.

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I have outfits that would match each of these. Can I get them, Mom, please?"

"Sure, sweetheart," Shelby said. "Go see if Kurt has anything."

Rachel's innocent face smirked a little devilishly as she turned away from her mom. That was so easy. That look rarely worked on her fathers anymore.

Kurt only had one thing and started to pull his money out only to have Shelby tap his hands for him to put it away. He gave a half-hearted argument but she waved him off. They could get out of there more quickly if they didn't have to wait for two transactions to go through. And besides, this was her treat. Shelby had told herself the night before that she was going to indulge Rachel and Kurt, but she wasn't going to let them get everything they wanted. She would set a limit and draw a line. So far so good, she reasoned.

By the time they finished in the fifth store, they'd gathered a small crowd and more than a few bags. Shelby hadn't bought anything for herself, but she was helping to carry the kids' bags. The people following them around all tried to appear like they just happened to be in every store at the same time, but Shelby knew better. And so did Kurt and Rachel.

"Did you see that lady taking our picture?" Rachel whispered to Kurt behind Shelby's back.

"Yeah," Kurt smiled. "I hope she got my good side. I did a double moisturizing routine this morning."

The first professional photographers, if they could be called that, showed up an hour later. There was no doubt that the cell phone pictures that had been snapped all day were landing on Facebook and Twitter. They were in the food court eating lunch and Shelby was doing her best to ignore them. Rachel and Kurt sat up a little bit straighter and turned to face them, naturally of course. Shelby rolled her eyes as she finally understood the reason for their attire. They were expecting this and looking forward to it. If they only really understood what it was like.

"Shelby, introduce us to your daughter," one photographer called out as they headed for an escalator to go back down to the main level of the mall and continue shopping.

"Look this way," another one said. "Rachel. Over here."

Rachel look, more on instinct than anything else, but she flashed an award worthy smile. Oh my god, she was getting papped! Kurt looked too smiled with an air of superiority. Yes, he was hanging out with Shelby Corcoran today. No, no; it's not a big deal. Shelby kept her gaze straight ahead.

They entered into another store and the photographers seemed to take a break and didn't follow them in and Shelby was glad for the break.

"Are you guys ok?" Shelby asked even though she already knew the answer to that.

"Perfect," Rachel answered. "They're not bothering us."

"We're just ignoring it," Kurt said with an uninterested shrug. Right, like bears ignore honey. They were eating it up.

They moved farther into the store and away from the prying photographers and Shelby jumped when Kurt suddenly squealed loudly.

"Oh my god, look at this dress," the boy exclaimed. "Rachel, try it on."

"It's not really my style," Rachel said.

"Exactly," Kurt said. "You'd look amazing in this. What do you think, Shelby?"

"It's a beautiful dress," Shelby couldn't help but agree. "But I don-"

"You like it?" Rachel asked, suddenly much more interested. "I'm going to try it on."

"Rachel, I don-"

"Here, can you hold my bags?" Rachel asked as she handed them over to Shelby.

"Sure," Shelby couldn't say much else. She sat down wearily on a bench outside of the dressing room while Kurt continued to look around. Shelby looked at her watch as she yawned. How was it only one in the afternoon? She was exhausted.

Rachel gaped at herself in the mirror with the black dress on. It wasn't anything like she would normally wear at all and she was pretty certain her fathers wouldn't like it very much, but she felt so grown up. It was strapless and low cut and she felt very grown up and sophisticated and refused to acknowledge that she didn't quite fill it out properly yet. The dress was clearly meant for someone older and Rachel knew she wouldn't be attending any cocktail parties anytime soon, but for some reason she just had to have this dress.

Shelby looked up when Kurt whistled and she saw her daughter standing in front of her wearing a dress meant for someone ten years Rachel's senior. The dress was short and tight and low cut and showed way too much cleavage and even Kurt was staring even though Shelby knew he wasn't interested. Shelby considered herself to be quite liberal and open and understanding, but the mother of a teenage girl shown through when she left all of their bags and jumped up and spun Rachel around and pushed her back into the dressing room. The last thing she needed was for one of the photographers to have come into the store and gotten a picture of Rachel in a dress like that.

"What do you think?" Rachel asked. She was admiring herself in the mirror.

"You look…" The words 'way too young to be in that dress' didn't come to her. "Rachel, I don't think that dress is right for you."

"But I like it," Rachel said. "I think it's beautiful."

"It is," Shelby agreed. "You just, um. It's not-"

"Can I get it?" Rachel asked.

No. Absolutely not. "Where would you wear it?"

"To a party or something like that," Rachel answered. "Don't they always say that every woman should have a little black dress?"

Shelby's immediate thought was that Rachel was not a woman. She was a girl. Fifteen, yes. But still a girl who had no use for a little black dress, especially not one like that. The thought that Rachel looked like she was playing dress up in a woman's closet made Shelby smile briefly, but the reality of Rachel's not so concealed assets were staring her in the face. Shelby wished she hadn't left her jacket out there with the bags because she wanted to cover Rachel up.

"Honey, I think you're a few years off from needing a little black dress," Shelby said as diplomatically as possible.

"Then I'll save it," Rachel said. "Please, Mom. I need this dress."

"Rachel, I don't think-"

"Please, Mom," Rachel pouted.

There was that look again. The one that made Shelby's eyes go soft and a smile appear on her lips.

"Ok," she relented. "But it has to sit in your closet for at least three years before you can even think of wearing it."

"Mom," Rachel chuckled and waved her off.

"Take it off now," Shelby said. "I'll wait right outside the door."

Shelby took the dress when Rachel handed it over the door and she looked at the price tag. $350. Jesus. She carried it out of the dressing room and found Kurt waiting with all their stuff.

"Wait here while I go and pay for this," Shelby said gently.

When she returned, Rachel was there and waiting with Kurt.

"Thank you, Mom," Rachel said delightedly.

"Now we need to find some shoes to go with it," Kurt announced and led them towards the entrance of the store. Shelby groaned. How many stores did this stupid mall have anyway?

Three hours later Shelby was practically dead on her feet though she was keeping up a brave face for the kids and the incessant photographers who wouldn't leave them alone. Kurt and Rachel still didn't mind their presence though Shelby was growing increasingly annoyed. The kids were happy to stop and pose when Shelby wanted to hurry them along.

"Give us one together," one photographer said when the neared a Starbucks. Shelby was so looking forward to the largest form of caffeine and espresso she could get. A vat would be sufficient.

Shelby dropped her bags down by one of the tables next to the Starbucks and went over to the photographers were snapped as many pictures as they could and also filming the entire thing.

"How about we make a deal," Shelby said to all of them. "Rachel and I will pose for a few pictures and then you guys will leave us alone. Surely you've got more than enough already. We're just trying to have a nice day with her friend." She was careful not to give his name out. "Alright?"

There was a round of agreements because she was right, they had a ton of pictures and the photographers were actually eager to get out of there and download what they had so they could start to sell them. They all just needed that one good one of mother and daughter together.

"Ok," Shelby nodded. She turned back and motioned for Rachel to come to her. "We're just going to take a few pictures and then they're going to leave."

"Ok," Rachel smiled widely. She'd been practicing for this her entire life.

Shelby put an arm around Rachel and they stood and smiled and accommodated every call for 'look over here' and ' this way, please.' She gave them less than a minute.

"Ok, that's enough," Shelby said. "We're going to have some coffee and you guys are leaving."

Pictures snapped even as Shelby and Rachel turned away, but true to their word, the photographers started to trickle out. There were some who lingered to get shots of them all sitting at the table together but within a few minutes they were gone. The crowds were still staring at them though. Shelby didn't even care as she inhaled her caffeinated goodness. Let them stare.

"What magazines do you think those pictures will be in?" Rachel asked as she too had some coffee. She assured her mother it was fine for her to have espresso shots as well.

"Probably lots of them," Kurt said with equal excitement. "I'm going to scour the internet to find some of the pictures when I get home."

"Most people don't enjoy being followed by the paparazzi," Shelby pointed out. "It borders on harassment sometimes."

"I've always known that I'd be famous enough to warrant photographers following me around; I just never knew it would be so soon," Rachel said. This would be an amazing chapter in her book one day.

Shelby just rolled her eyes and took another swig of her coffee. Had she really ever been that wide eyed and sure of herself? Her childhood wasn't as idyllic as Rachel's had been, but the reality of Shelby's dream world as a teenager wasn't too far from how Rachel saw herself now. It wasn't until later that she discovered how hard everything was. Shelby wasn't about to burst the bubble of that dream world for the two excited kids in front of her. She had recognized the vulnerability that lay beneath Rachel's seemingly never ending confidence and it was the quiet insecurities that she wanted to spare.

They were headed towards the exit when Shelby noticed a local news crew coming their way. The reporter was young and had a crazy eagerness in his eyes and was clearly thrilled to have spotted them.

"Ms. Corcoran, please, can I have a word?" he asked. "I'm Dan Hitchens and I promise I won't take up too much of your time. It's not every day we get a star of your caliber in our city. And with your recent news, I'd love to ask you a few questions."

"I'm sorry," Shelby said. "I am not giving any interviews at this time." And she certainly wasn't giving one to Dan Hitchens from Columbus, Ohio. He couldn't be more than 23-years-old.

"Oh, but it would just take a minute or two," Dan said.

"No," Shelby said again. "I will give you a brief statement that you can read on air when we are no longer here. But I won't give an interview or appear on camera and neither will these kids." She missed when Kurt and Rachel sighed in disappointment.

"Oh. Ok," Dan said. "I would love a statement."

"Ok," Shelby said. "I am thrilled- Do you want to write this down?"

"Oh yeah," Dan said and he fumbled for a second to pull out a small notepad and a pen. "Ready."

"I am thrilled to have connected with my daughter and getting to know her," Shelby said. "We ask for continued privacy in this family matter. Thank you." Short and precise and not at all the interview Dan's producers had hoped for when they sent him down to the mall when word spread that she was in town. But it was better than nothing, he reasoned.

"Thanks," Dan said and he smiled genuinely at her for the first time. "Will you, um, will you sign this?" He held out the notepad where he had scribbled her statement.

"Sure," Shelby said as she softened. He really was just a kid. She took his pen and signed below the statement she'd just made and handed it back.

"Thanks!" Dan was excited. He couldn't wait to show his mom. She was going to flip.

Shelby bid him the cameraman a gracious goodbye and led the kids out to the car.

Shelby wasn't sure if everything they bought was going to fit into the trunk of her rental car. Some of it was going to have to sit in the back with Kurt. Where had all of this stuff come from? She had told Rachel she couldn't have everything she wanted, right? Her credit card had certainly gotten a workout today.

They found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Columbus to have dinner and Shelby let them ask more questions. They talked about making movies and what it's like to be on a talk show and everything in between. She had expected the conversation would stay focused on her and her career and she promised herself she wouldn't change it because she wanted them to get their questions out of the way so that they could move past the fact that she was a star. So she was pleasantly surprised when the conversation turned to school and mundane things like homework and projects.

"Where are you on Mr. Johnson's paper?" Kurt asked.

"I haven't even started it," Rachel lamented.

"When is it due?" Shelby asked and both kids turned and stared at her like they'd momentarily forgotten she could hear them. They had that 'oh crap, Mom's asking about homework I haven't done' look in their eyes. Shelby was proud of herself in that moment. "What?"

"Nothing," Rachel said. "I'll get it done."

"Before it's due?" Shelby asked. "Is yours done, Kurt?"

"Yeah," Kurt nodded.

"It'll be fine," Rachel said.

"When's it due?" Shelby asked again.

"Monday," Rachel mumbled.

"Monday?" Shelby exclaimed. "Have you even started on it?"

"No," Rachel said. "I've been preoccupied."

"But Rach, your grandparents will be here tomorrow," Shelby said. "When are you going to do it?"

"Tonight," Rachel shrugged. "Tomorrow night."

"What class is it?" Shelby asked.

"History," Kurt answered.

"Oh!" Shelby smiled widely. "I love history; I can help you with it."

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Of course," Shelby said. "I told you I would. And I've got a good friend who is a History professor so there's more help if we need it."

"Awesome," Rachel said.

They sat at the restaurant for close to two hours talking and Shelby's coffee and espresso had worn off by the time dessert was finished. She was exhausted and she still had to drive for another hour and a half back to get back to Lima. She didn't know how Kurt and Rachel weren't tired. But maybe that was a good thing because they insisted on blasting show tunes on the radio on the drive home and the singing and laughing helped to keep Shelby awake.

They sorted out bags at Kurt's house and walked him to the door. Burt met them on the porch so he could say hi to Shelby.

"Whoa, how much did you buy?" Burt asked when he looked at Kurt's bags. There were only four of them, but a couple small bags had been stuffed inside of others. And it was nothing compared to the loot that Rachel had stashed in the car. "Did you get him all of that?"

"It was my pleasure," Shelby said. "Thank you for letting him come with us today. You have a wonderful son."

"Yeah," Burt softened and smiled at her. "I do. Thank you for taking him. And for all of whatever this stuff is." He was torn between offering to pay her back because he honestly didn't know if it was rude to or rude not to.

"Please, don't worry about it," Shelby said. "I wanted today to be special. Rachel, why don't you help Kurt carry his stuff to his room."

"Ok," Rachel looked at her skeptically. Kurt didn't need any help, but the kids disappeared all the same.

"Mr. Hummel, I wanted to give you fair warning that we were photographed today at the mall," Shelby said.

"Burt, please. And I read your story," he said. "Kurt mentioned that it was a huge deal."

"I don't know what all shots they got of Kurt, but I never mentioned his name so it shouldn't be printed," Shelby said. "At least not from me."

"Don't worry about it," Burt said. "I never quite know what he's going to be wearing, but I think he wanted it considering how dressed up he was when he left this morning. I imagine he's thrilled at the idea of showing up in some magazine with you. As long as they didn't hurt him or harass him, it's fine."

"They didn't," Shelby said.

"Ok," Burt said. "And thank you for taking him. He's been walking on air for days now. His friendship with Rachel has been so nice. He doesn't often have friends. And I appreciate you making him feel special. His mom always made him feel so special. She died when he was younger and I'm afraid I don't often know how to make him feel special. I adore him but I don't always understand him."

"He thinks the world of you," Shelby said. "He talks about you sometimes like you're a super hero."

"Yeah?" Burt smiled.

"Yeah," Shelby confirmed. "He said that you try and that you listen to him and, trust me, that's the most important thing you can do. I was never in Kurt's situation, but I had parents who didn't get me and my incessant need for Broadway," she laughed lightly, "and they never tried. There were so many times I wished they would just even pretend to care about my interests so that I could talk to them. I barely talk to them now. I haven't called them about Rachel."

"I think what you're doing with Rachel is admirable," Burt said.

"It's selfish," Shelby said. "I want to know her so badly."

"Not more than she wants you," Burt said. "From what I've read and what Kurt has told me, you've done right by that girl her entire life. Adoption and now stepping up and being a mom."

"It's a little more complicated than that, but thank you," Shelby said.

"Mom, are you ready?" Rachel asked as she came back to the front door.

"Yep," Shelby said. "Thank you, Burt. Please tell Kurt I said goodbye."

Burt watched them until they got in the car and then he made his way into Kurt's room.

"How was your day?" Burt asked.

"It was amazing," Kurt gushed. "She's so cool."

"She seems like it," Burt agreed. "Let's see what you got."

Kurt stared at him for a second and then smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah, let's see it," Burt said.

"Ok!" Kurt said as he reached for the first bag.

Shelby was so grateful to see the Berry's house when the car pulled into the driveway. She felt like it was two or three days since she'd last been to sleep. Oh sleep, how she missed you. A quick glance at the clock in the car told her it was only 9:07. This was usually when she was most awake.

Rachel carried most of the bags into the house, leaving only a couple for Shelby. The men looked up when the front door opened and got up to greet Shelby and Rachel in the foyer.

"Holy cow, how much to did you buy?" Hiram asked when he saw all the bags.

"Not too much," Rachel said. She somehow made room for the two bags Shelby had and took them from her mom. She quickly worked her way up the stairs so as to avoid any more questions about their purchases.

"Is there anything left at the mall?" LeRoy asked as they followed Shelby into the living room. She sighed in contentment as she sat down on the couch.

"She wanted the stuff," Shelby said through a yawn.

"That doesn't mean you buy it all for her," LeRoy said.

"But she was so happy," Shelby said.

"She played you," Hiram said.

"No," Shelby brushed them off. "I didn't get her everything she wan- Yeah, I did," she said after thinking about it. "But I wanted her to have a nice day."

"You can't buy a nice day, Shelby," LeRoy said. "She'd have had a wonderful time if you hadn't bought her anything."

"But we went shopping," Shelby said. "I wanted to indulge her a little bit. She said she wanted everything. What was I supposed to do?"

"Aw, Shelby," Hiram said as he sat down on the couch and put a hand around her shoulder. "Let LeRoy and me let you in on a little secret. There's this word we parents like to use in cases like that. It's 'no.' Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it."

"But her face and her pout," Shelby said as she tiredly leaned her head on Hiram's shoulder.

"I know," Hiram cooed. "She's very tough."

"Don't make fun of me," Shelby pouted.

Hiram kissed the top of her head. "Ok, sweetheart." Shelby's pout deepened. "Sit tight, I'll get you something to drink."

"And I'll check on our master manipulator," LeRoy said.

LeRoy watched from the doorway of Rachel's room as the girl hurriedly tried to put everything away so it wouldn't look like as much as it was.

"I hope you thanked you mother for all of this," LeRoy said seriously. "She bought you way too much."

"I thanked her," Rachel said innocently as she smiled at her father. "We had such a wonderful day." Rachel went to LeRoy and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. "Thank you, Daddy."

LeRoy looked down at Rachel's sincere eyes and saw none of the manipulation that he was almost immune to at this point. She was being genuine and he squeezed her tightly. "She loves you, sweetheart. She's in your life to stay, I promise."

"I love her so much and it doesn't have anything to do with shopping or Broadway," Rachel said. "I'm so lucky because I've always had the best parents and now I get to have one more. I love you."

"I love you too," LeRoy said. "Come on, let's go and be with your mom and dad."

LeRoy and Rachel entered the living room and saw Hiram standing over the couch holding a glass of wine and staring down at Shelby. The woman had stretched herself out and was now fast asleep.

"What did you do to her?" Hiram whispered as he looked over at Rachel.

"Nothing," Rachel said. "I'm not tired."

LeRoy and Hiram exchanged a look and smiled. Rachel may not be tired, but the girl had no idea how exhausting she could be.

Rachel opened the small chest in the corner and pulled out a folded blanket and then draped it over her sleeping mother. Shelby didn't stir at all when Rachel leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Mom," she whispered.

"I guess she doesn't want this," Hiram said indicating the wine in his hand.

"I'll take it to the kitchen," Rachel said. "I'm going to go back up to my room."

Rachel took the glass from Hiram and started to walk away. The sip she was trying to take was cut off when LeRoy reached around her and removed the glass from her hands and gave her warning look. She took a moment to look sheepish at being caught before going back up to her room.

LeRoy took a long sip and then handed the glass to Hiram who finished it off. Here's to their not-so-sneaky daughter.

Rachel was up in her room when LeRoy's parents, Linda and Frank, arrived. They were earlier than anyone expected. Hiram's parents, Mary and Ephraim, were right behind them. Rachel didn't hear anything because of the ear buds in her ears. They had an hour before they were supposed to be there.

"Mom, Dad, this is Shelby," LeRoy introduced for everyone.

Shelby felt the four sets of eyes giving her a once over and she stood uncomfortably after giving them a short greeting. Mary and Ephraim were definitely more laid back and eventually smiled warmly at her. Linda wanted to glare and Frank crossed his arms and Shelby felt like a teenager all over again. Hiram placed a gentle hand on her back and whispered in her ear.

"Their bark is worse than their bite," Hiram said softly. "They eventually stop looking at you like that. It almost looks like they like you. Almost. They're just protective of Rachel."

Shelby smiled faintly and nodded her head. She'd dealt with tough critics before and she could do it again. She just hoped that everything went perfectly today and she didn't give them cause to hate her.

Rachel poked her head out of her room and saw that her fathers' bedroom door was shut. The last she had heard from them that morning was that they were going to get ready for the impending arrival of the grandparents. So she assumed she had time right now and she really wanted to show her mom how this whole ensemble looked with the shoes they'd found the day before.

"Hey, Mom," Rachel called out as she made her way down the stairs. "How do I look?"

She turned the corner into the room and froze when she saw her dads and grandparents there with Shelby. All of the adults turned to look at Rachel and saw she was wearing her newly purchased little black dress. Her short, tight dress with a plunging neckline and the high heel shoes to match.

Linda and Mary gasped and Hiram and LeRoy's eyes almost fell out of their heads and everyone stared in shock. Oh god, Shelby groaned.

"Poppy… Grammy… Savta… Saba… I didn't know you guys were here yet," Rachel mumbled as she self-consciously started to pull on her dress to try and reign in some of the cleavage that was revealed. "Mom," Rachel said. She needed help to get out of this one.

Rachel stayed by the stairs and six adults turned to look at Shelby who gave them a nervous smile. This was probably not the perfect start she was looking for.

**A/N – That's it for this chapter. Again, I'm sorry about the delay. I hope you liked it. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N – Here's the next chapter! Thank you all so much for the reviews and messages and alerts for this story. You guys are so wonderful and it means so much to me. Thank you , thank you.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

Shelby felt like a deer caught in the headlights as all of the other adults stared at her expectantly. Rachel was still standing by the stairs and Shelby could see that she had crossed her arms self-consciously. Shelby was usually pretty quick on her feet and she had excelled at improv classes and exercises, but she felt so lost and out of her league right now. She wanted so badly to be liked and accepted by Rachel's grandparents and she felt like she had ruined her first impression.

"Rachel, what is that you're wearing?" Linda asked as she turned away from Shelby to look at her granddaughter.

"My dress," Rachel answered softly.

"Your dress?" LeRoy had turned to look at his daughter as well; they all had.

"I got it yesterday," Rachel said. "Mom bought it for me. Don't you think I look pretty?" Rachel asked in a soft voice. She was trying to get them all on her side.

Any relief that Shelby may have felt when they had turned away from her was short-lived because she was focus once again.

"I told her she couldn't wear it until she was eighteen," Shelby defended herself weakly.

"I didn't know anyone was here yet," Rachel said and all eyes swiveled back to her. "I was just showing Mom how it looks with the shoes."

"Those are new too, I suppose?" Hiram asked.

"Yes," Rachel and Shelby answered at the same time.

"Rachel, go upstairs and change," LeRoy said. "And put the shoes and dress back in the box and bag they came in because they're going back."

"What?" Rachel pouted immediately. "That's not fair. Mom?"

All eyes were once again on Shelby and she searched for help from all of them. She knew she had to speak up, but did they not see how much Rachel wanted it?

"Rachel, you need to listen to your father," Shelby finally squeaked out.

Rachel changed her pout and shot Shelby an angry, hurt glare before she stomped back up the stairs to do as she was told. The six adults in the room who were used to Rachel's storm outs and tantrums didn't think anything of it, but none of them missed the way Shelby's wounded eyes followed her daughter until she disappeared.

"Why would you buy her that dress?" Linda asked once Rachel was gone. "It is not appropriate for someone her age."

"I know," Shelby sighed. "But her friend encouraged her to try it on and she wanted it so badly and asked if she could have it. I told her that she couldn't wear it until she was eighteen."

"Shelby, you can't buy her everything just because she says she wants it, "LeRoy said.

"I didn't," Shelby said. "I'm not. She just- she- I wanted to say no, but she wanted it so badly. I told her she couldn't wear it until she's eighteen. I just thought she'd put it in her closet until then. I know she's too young for it and I know it doesn't fit her properly because she's still growing, but she- and I- And now she hates me."

The grandparents all took notice of how much Rachel looked like Shelby in that moment. It really was uncanny. The woman's eyes were hurt and pleading with them to understand.

"She doesn't hate you," Hiram said. "She's mad she's not getting her way."

"What else did you buy her?" Mary asked. "We saw some of the pictures of you guys together yesterday and there were a lot of shopping bags."

"Some of them were Kurt's," Shelby said. "She just got clothes and books and some music she wanted. I wanted to indulge her. She deserves that from me."

"Stop right there," LeRoy said. "Did she say that to you?"

"No," Shelby answered. "But we were shopping and it's the first thing I've ever been able to do for her."

"So you buy her that dress?" Linda asked.

"Mom," LeRoy said. "We can talk about all of this later." He meant when his parents were gone. Shelby didn't need it from all sides. "But Shelby, you have nothing to feel guilty for or to make up for, ok?"

Shelby nodded slightly. "I guess I'm just not immune to her pout yet." She laughed and put on a smile and was relieved when they all joined in no matter how strained it felt to her.

"We're not as immune to it as you might think," Ephraim said. "We spoil her too."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Frank said as he took Shelby by the hand and led her towards the living room. "Come on, Ephraim and I will tell you some good stories about when Rachel was little."

The older men knew when they wanted out of a conversation and Shelby would thank them later for rescuing her.

"She seems nice," Mary said when she and Linda were alone with Hiram and LeRoy. "If not completely overwhelmed."

"She's brand new to all of this," LeRoy said. "She doesn't have any other children and we all know how Rachel is. She adores Shelby, but there's no doubt she was doing everything she could to get her way."

"Is all of this a good idea?" Linda asked. It wasn't an unkind question towards Shelby, but rather one of her concern for her family. This wasn't a minor change that was happening in their lives.

"Rachel is over the moon and we've always loved Shelby; you know that," Hiram said. "We probably should have told Rachel a lot sooner than when she found out."

"It's a learning process, and under the circumstances, it's going the best it can," LeRoy said.

"I assume that Rachel is going to be going to New York to spend time alone with Shelby?" Linda asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure she will be," Hiram said.

"Are you going to be able to trust Shelby with her alone?" Linda asked.

"Of course," LeRoy said. "What does that mean?"

"I think what Linda is wanting to know is if Shelby's going to parent her or try to be her best friend," Mary said diplomatically.

"Rachel will try and bring back New York City packed in her suitcase and Shelby will be helping her pack instead of giving her boundaries," Linda said. "She can't tell her no when buying a dress that she's too young for so who's to say she won't say no to taking her to a party she's too young for?"

"We will have that all worked out before any of that happens," Hiram said. "Shelby's just getting her footing; she's going to be fine."

"You can't fault us for being concerned," Mary said.

"We don't," Hiram said. "But you've got to trust us here. Do you think we're going to do anything to put Rachel in jeopardy?"

"Of course not," Linda said.

"Then give it a rest and be nice to Shelby," LeRoy. "She was already nervous before you guys got here and now that's probably doubled."

"Why would she be nervous of us?" Linda asked innocently and Hiram scoffed. LeRoy elbowed him lightly so he didn't say anything.

"I made some coffee and hot chocolate," LeRoy said quickly. "You two go and sit down and we'll bring it in."

"You might want to spike Shelby's," Hiram said when they older women were gone. "She's going to need it."

Rachel sighed dramatically as she returned the dress to the hanger and the bag it came in. She'd just put it away for now and hopefully they'd all forget that they said they were taking it back. And why didn't her mom just tell them that she bought the dress and so she should have say? It was Shelby's decision and as far as Rachel was concerned, her mom had already said she could have it. She'd have to talk to her about it later when they were alone.

Rachel was taking her time to let them know just how upset she was with this whole situation. They'd just have to wait for her to get there now. Kurt gave her a distraction by sending her a text and asking about the history paper they had due the following day. He was done, but wanted to check a source. She, on the other hand, still hadn't started. She had planned to do it this weekend but that was before she knew her mom was going to be her. She wondered if she could use that as a legitimate excuse to get some more time to do the paper. She'd never asked for an extension before, but with all of the upheaval and other things some of the articles were saying, surely she could work that to her favor. It was always good to have a back-up plan, right? Just in case she didn't get it done that evening.

Rachel finally got up and made her way downstairs and found everyone in the living room. They were all laughing and she decided that it was the perfect time to enter because no one looked upset about the dress. She really did have great timing.

"Hey, sweetheart," Frank said as he got up to greet her with a hug. "How's my girl?"

"I'm good, Poppy," Rachel smiled.

She was passed around from grandparent to grandparent until she finally was sitting on the couch next to Shelby with a mug of hot chocolate in her hand. Shelby had watched her uncertainly until Rachel sat down and leaned into her side as she took a sip of her drink. She was worried that the girl was still going to be angry at her, but Rachel's face showed none of the hurt it displayed before.

"What were you guys laughing at?" Rachel asked.

"Oh nothing," Hiram said. "Just some Rachel war stories."

Rachel humphed in offense and annoyance. Why was she never around to defend herself when these stories were being told?

"What did they tell you?" Rachel asked looking over at Shelby.

"Oh… nothing much," Shelby said. "But I've got to admit, I never would have figured you for a kid who liked to play outside naked, especially in the mud. I can't wait to see the pictures."

"Daddy!" Rachel's exclaimed as her face turned red in embarrassment.

Hiram and LeRoy had pictures of their naked two-year-old sitting in the mud playing with her dolls. They'd left her out back for just a couple of minutes and in that time Rachel had shed her clothes and gotten completely filthy. The men loved to tell the story, much to Rachel's chagrin.

"I'm sure you were so cute," Shelby cooed and reached over to pinch Rachel's cheek.

"Stop," Rachel said as she leaned back to try and get out of the way.

"We sprayed her off with the hose before we let her in house," Hiram said, "And she loved it. She thought it was a game and she wanted to do it every time we went outside. I really am glad we finally broke the habit of you wanting to get naked whenever you went outside."

"Dad," Rachel glared at him.

"Don't worry, Rach, I promise not to bring up any of this in any interview I may do," Shelby teased.

"Oh my god, you better not," Rachel said. "I'm serious, Mom."

"I know, baby," Shelby placated. She put her arm around Rachel's shoulders and kissed the side of her head. Shelby's smile faltered slightly when noticed that she was being watched intently by the grandparents. She couldn't tell if they liked her or not, but she was leaning towards or not. She sighed, but made sure her smile was in place when Rachel started in on another story. She could handle this. She performed for audiences for a living and she knew how to win them over. She could do this.

Three hours later, Shelby wasn't so sure.

"They hate me," she said as she stepped into the kitchen with Hiram. "All of them. They all hate me."

"They don't hate you," Hiram said.

"Yes they do. Linda has asked me about six thousand questions about what I like to do in New York and how much I drink. I don't think she believes any of my answers either. I think she wants to strap be into a lie detector test so she can further scrutinize my answers. And now she and Mary are up there with Rachel looking through everything I bought her. I'm sure they're looking for one more inappropriate thing I got Rachel so they can officially kick me out of her life."

"Did you buy her anything else that's inappropriate?" Hiram asked.

"No!" Shelby exclaimed and crossed her arms and scowled at the pacifying smile he was giving her.

"They're overbearing grandparents," Hiram said. "This is why we normally don't let them visit at the same time. They mean well though."

"What happened to you telling me that they all drive you crazy?" Shelby asked.

"They normally do, but their crazy is pointed at you right now so I'm good," Hiram smiled widely.

"Thanks a lot," Shelby sighed. "I want them to like me."

"I think they do," Hiram said. "And don't worry, they'll be leaving soon. Why don't you and Rachel do a song before they leave? They'd love that."

"Why do I always have to sing a song to impress people?" Shelby mumbled more to herself than to Hiram as she left the room.

The question caught him off guard and watched Shelby go and realized how sad she actually looked about his and LeRoy's parents not liking her. He'd heard a similar sentiment from Rachel before. She had told him how the other glee kids only tolerated her because she could sing. He'd never even considered that Shelby might feel the same way. He followed after her so he could talk.

Hiram didn't get a chance because Rachel was descending the stairs with her grandmothers and cut him off before he could reach Shelby who was now sitting on the couch alone.

"Hey, Mom," Rachel said brightly. "They said they had to go soon, but I told everyone that they've got to hear you sing before they leave. Will you sing a song with me?"

"Sure!" Shelby said with a big smile for Rachel. Hiram watched her sadly. "What do you want to do?"

"Rachel, Shelby might not want to sing right now," Hiram tried to cut in.

"But she just said she would," Rachel said with a confused expression. She looked from Hiram and back to Shelby.

"Of course I will," Shelby said. "Pick a song."

"Can we do the one you sing in the show?" Rachel asked. "With Alison Young? I know her part. I know all the parts, actually."

"That would be wonderful," Shelby gave Rachel a genuine smile and tucked some hair behind the girl's ear. She sang a few songs with Alison during the show, but Shelby had a feeling she knew which one Rachel was talking about.

The other adults settled in and watched the mini-show with rapt attention. Rachel started to cry half way through and Shelby dried her tears at the end just before Rachel crushed her in a hug.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Shelby asked softly as the clapping from the grandparents died down.

"I've actually sung that song with you countless times," Rachel said. "With the CD and my iPod. I sometimes can't believe that you're really here with me. My mom is here with me." She whispered that last part so that it was just Shelby who heard her.

"Don't cry, honey," Shelby said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"That was amazing," Ephraim said. "Really powerful."

"Shelby, you're going to have stiff competition when our Rachel gets to New York City," Frank added.

Rachel was wiping her eyes as she looked at her grandfathers and she smiled knowingly. "Don't worry, Poppy, there won't be much competition between Mom and I because we won't be going after the same roles. She's too old…"

Rachel trailed off when she realized she'd actually said it aloud and she turned and looked at her mother and offered an innocent smile. There was burst of laughter and Rachel scampered away leaving Shelby to stand there with her mouth open in shock. She was not old!

"Don't worry, dear, she's just a baby and doesn't know what old is yet," Linda said. "You are far from old."

Shelby smiled and Rachel stamped her foot. She was not a baby!

It wasn't long after the performance that the family started to say their goodbyes. Shelby found herself being pulled into hugs by Ephraim and Frank and even by Mary and Linda.

"Take care of our girl," Linda said seriously.

"I will," Shelby nodded. "I promise. I love her so much."

"And don't buy her anything else that's not appropriate for her," Linda continued. "I would expect to see someone like you in that dress and not a girl."

Rachel sighed because she had hoped it would be forgotten and there was her grandmother bringing it back up again. Shelby looked back to LeRoy and Hiram to see if they could give her a clue as to whether she should be offended by that last statement or not. LeRoy shrugged and Hiram gave a thumbs up.

"I won't," Shelby said as she turned back to the woman.

"Good," Linda said. "I'm sure we'll see you again soon."

Oh fun. Shelby smiled. "Wonderful."

Hiram held back while Rachel and LeRoy walked the grandparents out to their cars.

"Shelby, I didn't mean to imply that the only way you can impress people is by singing," the man said. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Shelby said. "It's not a big deal. I just want them to like me for me."

"They do," Hiram said. "So does Rachel. She often doesn't know how to express her feelings and the songs allow her to do so."

"I know how she feels," Shelby said as Hiram pulled her into a tight hug.

Twenty minutes later Rachel had disappeared to her room and her parents were sitting in the living room talking about how they would deal with the dress.

"You already told her that it's going to be returned," Shelby said.

"I know," LeRoy said. "But you should tell her again. And don't let her talk you out of it because she's going to try."

"That's probably what she's doing up there right now," Hiram said. "Working out arguments for why she should get to keep it."

"She's probably working on her homework," Shelby said casually. "She's got a history paper due tomorrow." Both men just stared at her. "What?"

"She has a paper due tomorrow and she's not done yet?" Hiram asked.

"She and Kurt were talking about it yesterday and she said she hadn't started it yet," Shelby explained.

"She hasn't even started?" LeRoy asked. "That's not like her. She usually finishes everything early."

"I imagine she's been distracted," Shelby said. "I told her I would help her with it but then I fell asleep last night. She's exhausting."

"Ok, Mama, now's your chance," Hiram said. "Go up there and tell her about the dress and get her to start on her homework."

Shelby rolled her eyes, but got up all the same.

"Hey, Rach," Shelby said as she knocked on the open door and entered the girl's room. "What're you doing?"

"Texting with Kurt," Rachel answered holding up her phone for Shelby to see. "He wanted to know how the visit went today."

"Oh. What did you tell him?"

"That it went fine," Rachel said.

"Did you tell him about the dress?" Shelby asked as she took a seat on Rachel's bed.

"No," Rachel blushed slightly. I figured we could talk about that tomorrow."

"What happened to not wearing until you're eighteen?" Shelby asked.

"I wanted to show you how it looked with the shoes on," Rachel answered. "I didn't know everyone was going to be early and I thought my dads were getting ready. I didn't think anyone would see me."

"Be that as it may, I'm going to take the dress back," Shelby said. Rachel pouted immediately and Shelby resolved to be strong.

"But I promise I won't take it out again until I'm eighteen like you said," Rachel pleaded her case. It's already hanging up in my closet."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's going back," Shelby said. "I was going to tell you that you couldn't have it at first, but I let you talk me into it. But that was a mistake. So I'm going to take it with me when I leave in the morning."

"Fine," Rachel said as she slouched in her chair at her desk. She knew there wasn't any hope anyways; her dads had already said she couldn't keep it. "Do you really have to leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I do. But I'll see you again soon," Shelby said with a sigh of her own. "I've got to get back to the show and deal with some of the requests for interviews. And you need to concentrate on school. How's that history paper?"

Rachel raised her eyes to look at her mom, "You remember everything, don't you?"

"Yep, and don't you forget it," Shelby said with a smile. "And I told you I'd help you so here I am. Let's knock it out."

LeRoy went to check on them almost an hour later and he didn't interrupt when he saw Shelby passionately explaining something about the Civil War to Rachel. Rachel was paying attention and taking notes and he smiled. It only took them a few hours, but they finished the paper and Rachel beamed as her mom read it over one more time to check everything out.

"This is great," Shelby said. "You did a wonderful job."

"Thanks, Mom," Rachel said. She took the freshly printed paper and put it safely in her binder for her class the following day. "What should we do now? Let's watch a movie?"

"I think maybe you should start to get ready for bed," Shelby said. She had glanced at Rachel's clock and saw that it was after 10:30.

"What? No," Rachel said. "It's not that late and we've got time. You're leaving tomorrow."

There was that pout again. "I know that, but you've got school and that's more important," Shelby said. "We'll have plenty of time for movies later. Get ready for bed and then come say goodnight to your fathers and me."

"But, Mom," Rachel whined.

"Sorry, Rachel," Shelby said. "Come on." Shelby took her hand stood the girl up and pointed her towards her bathroom. "I'll be downstairs."

"Fine," Rachel muttered as she went into her bathroom and shut the door.

Shelby nodded to herself and left the room only to find Hiram and LeRoy waiting at the door where they had obviously been listening.

"Well done, Mama," Hiram said.

"Thanks," Shelby smiled.

Rachel found them about ten minutes later and kissed each of them goodnight.

"Will you be up in the morning?" Rachel asked. She was hugging Shelby and had her head resting on her shoulder.

"I'll be up," Shelby said. "You won't get to leave without saying goodbye to me."

"Ok," Rachel whispered.

"Goodnight, baby," Shelby said. She kissed Rachel's head before sending her on her way.

The following morning was rough on them and Shelby didn't think she'd have been able to leave except for the fact that Rachel had to get to school. By the time her flight landed in New York City, Shelby felt worn out even though it was only the early afternoon. There were photographers waiting at the exits and she smiled but stayed silent as they relentlessly tossed questions her way. She was so thankful to Meredith for picking her up and final shut her eyes in relief when they were away from the airport.

"Welcome home," Meredith said.

"Thanks a lot," Shelby said wryly.

"I've set up three interviews for you for this upcoming week," Meredith said. "The first is with the New York Times and that's going to happen in a few hours so that it can be printed tomorrow. The second is with Katie Couric. She wants to do sit-down this Friday. You know, a whole thing at your house or the park or whatever other places they do those things in. She said she would love it if Rachel was involved."

"Shocking," Shelby said. "What's the third interview?"

"The View," Meredith answered and Shelby groaned. "That's taping Friday morning. They'd love to have Rachel on as well. Then we'll do People or something and hopefully that'll be the end of it."

"Katie Couric wants Rachel and not her dads?" Shelby asked.

"She said she would love to meet her fathers too, but she understands about time constraints," Meredith answered. "They want to be able to film it Saturday and have it ready to go by Sunday night."

"I'll call them and talk to them," Shelby said. She really needed a Kardashian or that insipid girl from the Jersey show to do something stupid now so the news would move on.

"Great. Let me know as soon as possible so I can get back to everyone."

"I will."

Shelby was happy to see her apartment and even happier to see flowers from Brian on her table. His note told her he'd left some food in her fridge since he knew the last thing she'd want to do when she got home was cook. She groaned with pleasure when she saw that he'd made her favorite meal and left it for her. She definitely could not wait to see him tonight.

Rachel was out of school and home by the time Shelby finished her interview with the New York Times. She called the house phone and smiled when LeRoy picked up.

"Hey stranger," LeRoy greeted. "How was your flight?"

"Not too bad," Shelby said. "Listen, I've got something I need to run by you and Hiram."

They once again put her on speaker phone and she explained about the interviews. The men said they didn't care if they were featured and were happy to give a statement if need be. But there was one concern.

"I don't want Rachel missing a bunch of school," LeRoy said.

"I don't either," Shelby said. "It would just be this Friday and then it won't happen again. I won't allow it. But I do have to give some interviews and people are curious about her. Consider it practice for when she's famous and doing talk shows. And this way I can be there and control it."

"All right," Hiram said.

"Great," Shelby said. "I'll set up a flight and send you the information. I promise she'll be fine."

"We know," LeRoy said. "And Shelby, listen. Please don't buy her the Statue of Liberty and let her bring it home, ok. We don't have anywhere to put it."

"Ha ha ha," Shelby deadpanned. "Thanks, guys. Tell Rachel I'll call her later."

Hiram climbed the stairs while LeRoy worked on dinner and knocked and went into Rachel's room. "Hey, how would you like to go to New York this weekend and spend it with Shelby?"

"Oh my god, really?" Rachel squealed. "Yep. You're flying out Friday morning sometime. They want you to participate in a couple of interviews if you're ok with that. If you're not comfortable, we can still say no."

"Yes, I'm comfortable with that," Rachel said quickly. "Yes, of course. I have to get ready. I need to call Kurt. Dad, will you get my suitcase from the basement so I can start to pack?"

"Whoa, slow down," Hiram said as he took Rachel by the arms and stopped her. "Rachel, everything can be reversed, ok. You don't have to go. This cannot be the only thing you think about. You've got school and glee and I don't want to see either of those things start to suffer. Got it?"

"Got it," Rachel said seriously. "I promise, Dad."

"Ok," he said. "Shelby said she'd call you in a little while with the details. I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

"Ok," Rachel said. She waited about half a second after he was out the door to dive back on her bed to reach for her phone so she could call Kurt.

Shelby felt great as she stood at Brian's door and knocked. She had a key, but she decided to wait. She had just gotten off the phone with Rachel and the flight was all set up and the girl was excited and Shelby was thrilled to be seeing her again so soon. Rachel spending the weekend with her was a dream come true.

"Hey," Brian said with a smile when he answered the door.

"Hey yourself," Shelby said as she pushed him back into the apartment with an aggressive kiss. He didn't need to be told twice.

Dinner was cold by the time they got to it, but neither of them minded having to heat it up. Shelby sipped on her wine and watched him move around the kitchen. This finally could be it. She felt like this was the time.

"Rachel's coming into town this weekend," Shelby said. "She'll be here Friday."

"Oh?" Brian said.

"I can't wait for you to meet her," Shelby continued. "Are you ok with that?"

"Of course," Brian said with a smile.

Shelby matched his expression of love took another sip of wine. All they had to do was get through the stupid interviews and Shelby knew she had the makings of a perfect weekend on her hands.

**A/N – I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review if you can. I appreciate your feedback so much. Thanks, you guys! **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N – Here is the next chapter! Thank you all so much for your reviews and messages. I appreciate them more than you can know. Your feedback is so important to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. Or anything about The View.**

Rachel was barely listening as her dad rattled off instructions to her from the front seat of the car. Hiram was driving and LeRoy was the passenger while Rachel sat in the backseat on their way to Columbus early Friday morning. LeRoy was making sure she knew everything about the flight and when she'd be landing and all things in between. Rachel was attempting to tune him out because they'd been over all of this before. She was just ready to get on the plane so she could get there.

But they hadn't even made it to the airport yet. Rachel sighed as she looked back down at some of the papers they had printed off last night for her. Much to her chagrin she was considered an unaccompanied minor by the airlines and would have to wear a special lanyard the whole flight. She didn't need this. She'd flown before and had been in airports before and considered herself to be much too old and responsible for this. Everyone but Rachel agreed that it was for the best because this way Shelby could pick her up directly from the gate at the airport and not have to wait for Rachel to make it out to her in the baggage claim area. Rachel had argued that she was 15 and she could go on her own, but the men told her it was the airline rules and not theirs. Hiram also reminded her that she'd only been 15 for less than a month and she had pouted and said she was different now and not a kid like she was when she was 14. The Berry men had gotten a big laugh out of that after she'd gone to bed that night.

Rachel was ecstatic for the interviews she was going to be a part of. Shelby's interview with the New York Times had been well received and people were sympathetic to her story. The Berry fathers were also getting a ton of praise. They had answered questions over the phone for the reporter and were, for the most part, seen as good men and good fathers. Along with praise and the loss of a little privacy also came hate though. They changed their number to an unlisted one right away and also changed all of their cell phone numbers. They'd been dealing with small-minded people who didn't agree with their "lifestyle" for years and knew they would have to continue to do so.

"Ok," Hiram said as he pulled Rachel into a hug. Her flight had just been announced after what seemed like forever at the gate. "Have a great time, sweetheart."

"I will, Dad," Rachel said as she held on tightly.

"And behave," he added.

"Listen to your mother," LeRoy said when Rachel moved to him for a hug.

"I will," Rachel said. Did they have to go through this again?

"And don't try and sweet talk her into anything, you hear me?" LeRoy asked. "Don't take advantage of her."

Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes so as not to get into any trouble right there in the terminal. She had been lectured about this, with the dress as an example, the day Shelby left. She was not manipulating her or taking advantage of her; she'd just asked for the things her mom bought her. She couldn't help it if the woman said yes. Maybe she naturally pouted like that. LeRoy had been quick to shut down that excuse and reminded her that she didn't have to go to New York this weekend. So therefore, no Rachel did not roll her eyes and instead nodded sincerely.

"I won't, Daddy, I promise," Rachel said.

"Good girl," Leroy said and then kissed her head. "I love you."

"I love you too," Rachel said.

"Call us the minute you get there," Hiram said. He kissed her head as well. "Love you."

"I love you too," Rachel said again. Geez, it wasn't even a two hour flight. They were acting like she was flying to Australia or something. Oh my god, she'd love to go to Australia! She was going to have to talk to her mom about that at some point.

The fathers said one last round of goodbyes before letting her go to board the plane. The watched her all the way down the ramp until she disappeared from view and then waited for the plane to take off before leaving the airport and heading home.

Shelby was up early and having breakfast in her kitchen. She was already working to readjust her internal clock so that she was used to being up earlier now that Rachel was in her life. But that didn't stop her from yawning as she looked over her some messages on her phone. There was a text saying that Rachel had taken off safely and would she please let them know the minute she landed. She responded that she would and then got up so she could get down there. She still had a few minutes, but she wanted to already be there when the plane landed. The 5am flight would be in at 6:22 and she hoped that was early enough to beat a lot of the photographers.

Shelby was just about to walk out the door when her phone started to ring. Who would call her this early? It wasn't even six for crying out loud. She stopped long enough to dig it out of her purse and then groaned when she saw the word on the screen: Mom. She still hadn't called her parents to talk to them about Rachel. She knew this whole thing would come as a shock to them because they had never known she was pregnant in the first place. At the time, it had been so much easier to lie and tell them she was in New York when she was really with the Berrys in Ohio. Her parents just wouldn't have understood and they certainly wouldn't have liked Hiram or LeRoy. And now, fifteen years later, Shelby knew that none of that will have changed.

Shelby took a second to debate answering it and as much as she didn't want to, she knew that she'd have to do it sooner or later. Now that her mother was calling she was going to keep calling until she got an answer and Shelby would rather not have Rachel around when she talked to the woman.

"Hello," Shelby answered her phone.

"Shelby," was the stiff reply.

"Hi, Mom," Shelby sighed. She locked her door and then headed for the elevator. "How are you?"

"Is that really all you have to say right now?" Evelyn Corcoran asked.

"I was going to call you soon," Shelby said. "Everything happened so fast."

"It seems to me you've had fifteen years to call and explain this," Evelyn said.

The elevator doors opened and Shelby stepped out and headed towards the entrance of her building and smiled at the doorman as she passed. "I didn't say anything because I knew you would act like this."

"Like what?" Evelyn asked. "Like a woman who isn't told the most important things about her daughter's life? Like a woman who didn't know she had a grandchild until she saw it on the news? Do you know how that makes you look? Do you even care how that makes your father and I look?"

Shelby didn't care how they looked or what their judgmental, bigoted friends said. "I'm sorry if this has been hard for you, but it's hard for me too. And yes, I have a 15-year-old daughter and I am part of her life now as her mother." Shelby got into the cab that was waiting for her smiled apologetically at the driver and told asked him to take her to JFK.

"What do you know about being a mother?" Evelyn asked.

"I know that I love her," Shelby said. "I'm learning."

"You must not have loved her that much when you decided to hand her over to two queers," Evelyn sneered. "And you took money for it. That doesn't make you much of a mother."

"You know what, we're not going to do this right now," Shelby said as she allowed her anger to mask the hurt. She refused to let any tears fall because of her mother. She was used to it by now. Her mother's words were hurtful more often than not. "Yes, you have a granddaughter. She just turned 15. Her name is Rachel and she lives in Ohio with her two wonderful and loving fathers. And I am thrilled right now because I'm on my way to the airport to pick her up so we can spend the weekend together. So I will talk to you later." Shelby ended the call with satisfaction. Whereas Hiram and LeRoy's parents made her nervous, she had been dealing with her own parents for years. She had come to terms with the fact that they would never be close or loving. It made her crave that close and special relationship with Rachel all the more. She used the ride to the airport to shake her mother's words from her system.

Evelyn was livid when Shelby hung up on her. She had no idea how they had raised such a willful and obstinate child with what seemed like no real values. Even as a little girl, Shelby had been off in her own world that didn't include her parents. She sought attention and comfort from other adults and there was always a distance that was never bridged. But none of that mattered right now. What mattered was that she was not going to be treated in such a manner by her daughter. No, Evelyn was going to make sure of that.

The plane seemed to take forever to taxi from the runway to the gate. Geez, did they land in New Jersey and drive the rest of the way? Rachel was sitting in the front where one of the flight attendants could keep an eye on her and she jumped up when the seat belt sign finally went off.

"You have to wait, sweetheart," the flight attendant spoke to her like she was four. "I have to escort you off. Sit back down please."

Rachel stared at her like she was crazy and then huffed as she sat back down. It took forever for the plane to empty and Rachel was more than annoyed by the wait. This was ridiculous. Rachel sat up on her knees and silently cursed the old guy at the back of the plane. Sometime today, old man.

"Ok, come on. I'll walk you out," the flight attendant said.

Finally. Rachel grabbed her carry-on bag that housed her laptop and her purse and followed the woman up the walk to the terminal. She saw her mother standing there waiting and smiling and Rachel waved back when Shelby waved at her. Rachel made her way around the flight attendant and rushed to greet her mother.

Shelby gathered her up in a tight hug and picked her up slightly. Rachel held on and placed her chin on Shelby's shoulder. Just like when she was in her dads' arms, Rachel felt secure and loved. She was so happy to be here and getting her mom to herself for the next couple of days. Plus she was doing the interviews and that was awesome!

Shelby put Rachel down and went through the process of providing her ID and signing the paper so Rachel would be free of her unaccompanied minor status.

"You just signed for me like I was a dog," Rachel said as she scrunched up her nose at it all.

"A cute little puppy," Shelby said as she reached over and pinched Rachel's cheek.

"Mom," Rachel whined and backed away. "Stop that."

"Come on," Shelby said with a smile. She took Rachel's bag to hold and then secured the girl's hand in her own. Rachel didn't even feel like a little kid holding her mom's hand in a crowded airport.

They weren't able to avoid all of the photographers as they waited to get Rachel's suitcase and Shelby just smiled and went about her business. Rachel was taken with them, but tried to follow her mom's lead and not engage them. But she was glad she had brushed her hair one more time right before they landed.

Rachel called her dads during the cab ride back to Shelby's place. She was trying to talk to them and take in some of the sights and talk to Shelby all at the same time. She eventually ended the call and looked over at Shelby and gave her mother an eager smile.

"How's it going to go today?" Rachel asked. "On The View? Who are some of the other guests? Will Barbara Walters be there?"

"I don't know," Shelby shrugged. "It was kind of last minute."

"What are you wearing?" Rachel asked. "Kurt told me I couldn't wear any of my normal clothes. I brought a bunch of stuff so maybe you can help me pick something."

"I've got hair and make-up people that will come over in a few hours and help us get ready," Shelby said. "They'll bring outfits for both of us."

"Really?" Rachel squeaked. She squealed some more when Shelby nodded and then proclaimed that, "this is going to be so cool!"

Shelby didn't say anything to burst her bubble and smiled at her enthusiasm. Appearing on talk shows could be tedious and there were only a couple that were really a lot of fun. The View was not one of them.

Shelby was happy to finally be back at her apartment and making another cup of coffee. Rachel had been talking nonstop since she picked her up and now was putting her suitcase in her room. Shelby had mentally made the switch from calling it the guest room to Rachel's room a few weeks ago.

"Can I have some coffee?" Rachel asked as she walked into the kitchen carrying a large book. Shelby assumed it to be an album.

"Umm… sure, help yourself," Shelby said after some hesitation. Was Rachel allowed to have coffee? "There's some sugar there and milk and creamer in the fridge."

Shelby watched as Rachel poured a mug full and then put five spoonfuls of sugar in it and then poured some creamer. It looked gross, but she didn't turn her nose up at it when Rachel looked over at her.

"What have you got there?" Shelby asked of the book.

"It's a photo album," Rachel answered. "There wasn't much time to look at pictures while you were at my house so Dad and Daddy said I should bring some along to show you. They're planning on sending you electronic copies and stuff too. They actually said it's a good thing because they've been talking about scanning all of our pictures so they can be saved digitally for years and haven't gotten around to it. Wanting to send you pictures is the perfect excuse."

Shelby grinned and took the album from Rachel. "Come on; let's go sit on the couch. I can't wait to see these."

"It's just one album," Rachel said as she followed. There are lots more, but I didn't have room for all of them because of all the clothes I packed. I wasn't sure what all I would need."

"Well one is great for now," Shelby said. "And I've got you here to tell me all about them."

Rachel sat down next to Shelby and the woman watched in amusement as Rachel took a sip of her coffee and scrunched up her face at the taste of too. Shelby was going to assume that there was too much sugar in there. The girl set her mug on the coffee table and scooted close to her mother and Shelby opened the album so that it rested on both their laps.

"Oh god," Rachel groaned when the book was opened to reveal a naked almost two-year-old Rachel standing in her back yard. The picture is from behind and Rachel is holding her hands out like she's talking with someone that isn't there. The sun is setting in the distance. Rachel didn't know they sent this album. It was like her dads had gathered up all of her most embarrassing pictures from childhood and put them in one book. They all have the same cover and Rachel had been too busy to stop and check which one they were sending.

Shelby laughed at her reaction as she looked at the picture. "Look at that cute little tush."

"Mom," Rachel whined in embarrassment and turned the page.

Rachel took her time explaining the stories about the pictures in the album. There were a few more naked ones including her sitting in the mud. There were funny faces and pictures of a little Rachel clearly throwing a tantrum. Shelby was enjoying the album immensely and getting a kick out of Rachel's dismay with each passing page.

Shelby turned the next page and had to use her hand to keep it where it was when Rachel reached over and tried to keep going.

"Wait," Shelby said. She looked down at the picture of a younger Hiram sitting on the couch with a five or six-year-old Rachel across his knees and clearly getting a spanking. "What'd you do?"

"I went through this phase where I liked to collect rocks and I would pick them up from all over and take them home," Rachel said. "I never could bring them inside though and so they had to stay on the porch. I named them and talked to them and used to make up stories for them. One afternoon I decided that we all wanted to play out in the yard instead of on the porch. So I made a few trips and created a pile in the yard. I made up in my head that the rocks loved to fly. So I told them I would play a game with them and see how far I could throw them."

Shelby nodded for her to keep going when the girl looked over at her mom embarrassed.

"I thought maybe I could get it all the way across the street, but I threw the first one and he landed in the middle of the street and so did the second. Dad saw me throw the third and told me not to throw the rocks in the street. Then he told me again after the fourth and fifth. I sat back down with my remaining rocks to work out a plan because I still couldn't get them all the way across the street. And don't worry, I planned to go and get them all back when I was done. But it became a challenge because I wanted to get a rock to the other side of the street. So I looked through them until I found one I thought was big and heavy enough. His name was Gumpy. I threw him just as a car was coming by. The windshield broke when Gumpy hit and the guy in the car screeched to a halt. He was really angry and Dad told me to go and wait on the porch while they talked."

Shelby wanted to laugh at her little daughter's predicament.

"I knew Dad was mad at me and that I was in trouble, but I was also really worried about Gumpy," Rachel continued. "I was afraid he got hurt when he hit the car. I didn't get much time to worry about that though because Dad came back and marched me into the house and you can see what happened next. That was a new camera and Daddy had it set up on a tripod and was playing with the timer when we came in. He went into the other room but the camera went off during the… you know."

Shelby gave her a sympathetic smile and brushed some hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ears. She thought about what she had would have done if faced with the same naughty child and she honestly wasn't sure. That brought to her mind the question of what she would do if Rachel got into trouble while staying with her this weekend, or any time actually. Shelby didn't know. She'd never punished another person her life. She had been the coolest babysitter ever because she let the kids get away with murder and never told their parents on them. But it was different with Rachel. This was her daughter. She set aside her thoughts when Rachel pointed out the next picture on the page. The little girl was standing in the corner.

"Daddy told me a couple years ago that since he had a picture of me being punished he wanted to get the whole thing so that fifty years from now there wasn't just a picture of me being spanked," Rachel said.

The next picture was Hiram sitting on the same couch and holding Rachel on his lap. She was facing him and her cheek was resting against his chest and his arms were around her. He was clearly trying to soothe her and LeRoy had captured a moment of Hiram kissing her head. Neither Hiram nor Rachel knew their picture was being taken in any of the photographs.

"That's a sweet picture," Shelby said of the one of Rachel sitting on Hiram's lap. To be honest, she wasn't sure what to say about the story, but she was glad to know it. She wanted to know everything about her daughter. A spanking for throwing rocks when you're five becomes cute after a while, but she wasn't sure if Rachel would think so.

"Yeah," Rachel sighed. "I had to get rid of all of my rocks after that. But they let me pick up all of the ones out of the street, including Gumpy, and take them to the park so I could leave them all together and say goodbye. Don't tell my dads, but I saved Gumpy and snuck him back home. We'd been through so much together and I couldn't just leave him there."

Shelby laughed and her eyes danced with merriment when she saw how serious Rachel was. "And where is Gumpy now?"

"I hid him in an old shoebox in my closet," Rachel answered. "He's still there and I've added some other knick knacks and stuff over the years."

"You're adorable," Shelby laughed some more and Rachel rolled her eyes good naturedly.

They were just finishing looking at the book when Shelby's doorbell chimed and the woman got up to answer it. Rachel stood up and went back to her room to return the album to her things because she was under strict instructions not to forget it. When she walked back out there were two women and a man talking with Shelby.

"There she is!" the man, Raymond, said. "She's just beautiful Shelby."

"I agree," Shelby smiled. She walked over and took Rachel's hand and led her over to the group. "Rachel, this is Raymond, Ashley, and Lucy. Raymond always does my hair for me. Ashley is a phenomenal make-up artist and Lucy has brought some clothes for us to wear today. Guys, this is my daughter Rachel."

"Hi," Rachel said. "It's nice to meet you."

"You guys look so much alike," Ashley said. "Trust me, Rachel, you're going to look great."

Rachel nodded eagerly and wished she had a moment to call Kurt. He was going to flip out about this.

By the time they finished Rachel was in a pretty green dress and Shelby was in a pair of dress pants and a blue top. Rachel stared at herself in the mirror in awe and couldn't believe how great she looked. She got Shelby to take a picture of her on the girl's phone and Rachel quickly sent it off to her dads and to Kurt. This was amazing. She also sent her dads another reminder to record the show today. She'd reminded them about a thousand times already.

Meredith showed up at Shelby's apartment as they were finishing up and Shelby explained that she would be going with them. Meredith was happy to finally meet Rachel. She felt like she knew her already because of the information she had been allowed to reveal.

There was a car waiting downstairs to drive them to the studio and Rachel got in the back like she was the biggest star in the world. Shelby watched her with a smile on her face. She wished things like this still excited her that much.

There was a small group gathered when they got there and Shelby took a little bit of time to sign autographs and take some pictures. At Shelby's instruction, Rachel waited by the door and watched. Just as she had done that first night she'd seen her while waiting at the stage door, Rachel tried to emulate her mother. She stood up straighter and let her confidence shine through. She even waved at a few people who had waved at her. This was it. She was making it.

After a few minutes, Shelby ushered her inside and back to a green room where they were met with a producer who started to explain to them how the show would go. Shelby was given a full list of questions that might be asked which was part of the deal of her showing up here with her daughter. She was going to go over them with her before it started because she didn't want to put Rachel in a position to have to discuss anything out of the blue or too serious.

A few minutes before the show started, Barbara Walters came in and talked with them. Rachel stared at her in awe. For an old lady, Barbara Walters was pretty cool.

"We're very glad to have you both here," Barbara said. "Are you nervous, Rachel?"

"Kind of," Rachel admitted.

"Don't be," Barbara said. "We're all right here for you and we're just going to have a nice talk. And it's great to have you back, Shelby."

"Thank you for having us," Shelby said.

They got through the pleasantries easily enough and an assistant came and spoke quietly to Barbara to let her know the show was about to start.

"Ok, just relax and we'll see you in a few minutes," Barbara said. "And Rachel, we have a surprise for you."

Rachel's eyes lit up and her grin grew wide.

Shelby looked over at Meredith and the woman shrugged. There weren't supposed to be any surprises today. It was supposed to be tame and sweet and generic. She quickly cast a questioning glance at Meredith and the other woman just shrugged, though she looked equally concerned.

"Uhh…"

"Really?" Rachel cut Shelby off to ask excitedly.

"Yes," Barbara said.

"What?"

It was too late because Barbara was gone and Shelby was left questioning the air. The opening theme music started and Rachel was practically jumping in her seat. Shelby hoped Rachel's grandparents weren't watching because god knows what she had gotten their granddaughter into now.

**A/N – That's it for this chapter. I didn't mean for it to stop here, but I needed it to. I'm sorry if it seems kind of slow. Rachel's only in NYC with Shelby a couple days and I don't want to skip anything important. Thanks for reading and please leave me a review. I really appreciate it. **

**P.S. – I don't know how anything about backstage at The View would work so I hope that all made sense.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N – Here's the next chapter! Thank you all so much for your reviews and for reading. I appreciate it so much. Your feedback is so important to me. I hope you like this chapter. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. I don't own anything to do with The View either.**

Kurt was sitting in the corner of the choir room with his feet propped up on the seat of the chair in front of him. He had his phone close to his face and was watching it intently. He had found a live stream of The View and wanted to watch it now even though he was recording it at home. He was so jealous of Rachel and the fact that she'd been in contact with a real life dresser and make-up artist. She looked great in the picture she'd sent him.

He was really happy for her and was glad to have formed this friendship with her. He knew some people thought so, but it wasn't about the fact that Shelby Corcoran was her mother, even though that had given them the push to really start talking. He had found that he genuinely enjoyed spending time with Rachel. She got him in a way that many people, even those he was close with like Mercedes, didn't. He never had to once felt like he had to change or dream a little smaller when he was around Rachel because her dreams were just as large as his were. And god knows she didn't have any fashion sense and Rachel so it's not like she changed herself for too many people. Rachel had confided in him one night that she wished she was prettier like Quinn so that Finn would pay more attention to her. Kurt told her that she was beautiful and he had really meant it. Sure, she could get rid of the toddler clothes she clung to, but even they didn't truly reflect who she was. Kurt had discovered a big heart and a mischievous streak he never would have attributed to Rachel just two months ago. She schemed and manipulated and whined and generally drove everyone crazy, but Kurt could now see the girl behind all of that and that made her insanity quite endearing. And letting his critical eye fall over the picture she'd sent him, Kurt knew that Rachel didn't need to worry about being pretty like Quinn; she was beautiful.

"There you are," Santana said when she walked into the choir room with Quinn and Brittany following. Mercedes and Artie came in after they did. And then Tina.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked. The View had just gone to their first commercial break and Rachel and Shelby were coming up next.

"You're watching The View, aren't you?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah," Kurt responded.

"I told you he'd be in here watching it," Mercedes said. "We want to see it too."

"Why didn't you just record it at home?" Kurt asked.

"Why didn't you?" Santana shot back. "Move." She moved his feet from the chair he'd had them resting on and the wiped off the seat before she sat down. "Hold it out so we can all see it."

Kurt rolled his eyes but complied all the same. They formed a little huddle and waited for the commercials to end.

"Anyone know what she's wearing?" Quinn asked while they waited.

"Probably something with a puppy on it," Mercedes said. She smiled widely when that got a laugh from the popular cheerleaders in the room.

"Is it on yet?" Finn asked as he came into the room. "I want to see it."

Puck followed close behind him and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really care; I just don't want to be in class."

The two tall boys got in the back of the group and the phone was adjusted once again so they all could see.

"What is going on in here?" Mr. Schue asked when he stepped into the room from his office. "Why aren't you guys in class?"

"We're watching the midget on The View," Santana answered without looking away from the screen.

"Guys, you can't just skip-"

"Shhh, it's coming back on," Kurt interrupted him.

Will quickly crossed the room and stood in the back with Puck and Finn so he could watch as well.

Rachel and Shelby were waiting in the darkened area just backstage as they waited for their names to be called. Shelby looked over at her daughter and smiled. She could tell Rachel was nervous and she could tell that the girl was trying to hide it. Rachel looked up at her and returned the smile and bounced on her toes some in anticipation. How long was this introduction going to be? Shelby put a calming hand on her back and rubbed it some to try and soothe the girl's nerves. It was all going to be fine. They were only scheduled to appear for one segment and then she and Rachel could get out of there. Meredith had tried to get answers during the first commercial break about what the surprise was going to be, but she'd come up empty handed. That was the thing that had Shelby nervous; she did not need anything unexpected to deal with on live TV. She tried not to worry too much about it though and let out a sigh as she conceded. This was Barbara Walters they were dealing with and Barbara Walters usually got her way.

"So please welcome Shelby Corcoran and her daughter Rachel Berry."

Shelby took Rachel's hand and led her around the corner and out into the main part of the studio. Rachel was amazed because she could see Shelby change before her eyes as the woman put on an award worthy smile and strode towards the couches without a care in the world. Rachel clutched Shelby's hand and followed her mother's lead, or tried to as best she could. There were so many little things about being a star that she needed to learn.

Rachel took a second as they walked to imagine her life ten or fifteen years from now. She just assumed that she'd be back on this show one day as a normal guest because of the musical or movie or album she was promoting. They'd show a clip of this appearance and they'd all laugh at how young and nervous she looked. Rachel smiled at the thought. She couldn't wait to get there and show the world how far she'd come.

They sat next to each other on the couch. Shelby waited until Rachel was settled until she sat down as well. She noticed that Rachel was fidgeting a bit and so Shelby clasped a hand over both of Rachel's and stilled them in the girl's lap.

"We're so excited to have you two on the show with us today," Barbara said.

"We're very happy to be here," Shelby said.

Rachel tried to stay engaged as Shelby gave a brief rundown of their history and how this all came to be, but she was finding herself lost in her own thoughts as she looked out at the audience. They were all paying more attention than she was at the moment and Rachel soaked in the attention like she always did when in front of an audience. This was different, of course, because she was sitting next to a news legend and her mom was talking to Whoopi Goldberg. She was on live TV and her mom was talking to Whoopi Goldberg. God this was surreal. And awesome!

"Rachel, how are you liking having your mother in your life now?" Barbara Walters asked.

Rachel had to take a moment to focus because she had almost missed the question.

"It's amazing," Rachel said and then smiled over at Shelby. "I love her so much and I'm so glad that I get the chance to know her."

"And Shelby how is it to suddenly have a teenager?" Whoopi asked.

"It's wonderful," Shelby said. "All kids are a learning process and we are getting to know each other. But I have loved her very much since before she was born so having her in my life makes it feel more comfortable and complete. I am so honored to get to be there for and with her and that I get to play a part in helping raise her from this point forward."

The audience full of mostly women let out a collective aww and Shelby looked over to see Rachel watching her with wide eyes. She squeezed Rachel's hands before shifting her gaze to Barbara who was about to ask another question.

"Rachel, from what I understand, you have your sights set on Broadway as well."

Rachel perked up and nodded. She felt some of her nervousness start to vanish as they broached a topic she knew she could talk about for hours. And hours. Her dads knew that very well.

"I've known I wanted to be on Broadway sine I was a little girl," Rachel said. "I put in a lot of work towards that goal. I've got a ten year plan in place right now. It can be modified, of course depending on life circumstances, but if all goes as planned, I'll be on stage just like my mom."

"One day, you might even be able to star in something together," Whoopi said.

Shelby opened her mouth to say something, but Rachel was quicker.

"That would be incredible," Rachel said. "I was a fan of hers long before I discovered she was my mother. It would be a dream come true to get to work with her. And it would be even better now. We could do _Gypsy_! You'd be a great Mama Rose and I'd be perfect for Louise."

"Don't you think I'm a little young to be Mama Rose?" Shelby asked her daughter.

"Not really," Rachel said with a shrug much to the delight of the audience. Rachel looked out at them and smiled and fed off their feedback. "And when I play Laurie in _Oklahoma!, _you can be Aunt Eller."

"I am way too young to be Aunt Eller!" Shelby said with a laugh of her own as the audience ate it up. Rachel had officially won them over.

"Yeah…" Rachel agreed. It seemed to throw her life plans off for a moment and she turned and looked at Barbara. "Do you sing?" Rachel asked. "You could be Aunt Eller."

Rachel hadn't been thinking about what she said and so she didn't understand when the audience and Whoopi and the other hosts started to laugh. Shelby put her hand on her face and groaned good naturedly. Leave it to Rachel to call Barbara Walters old on her own show.

Rachel looked around at everyone wondering what she had done until it clicked and her eyes went wide and she looked from Shelby to Barbara. "I'm sorry," she squeaked out. She hadn't meant it as an insult about her age. To Rachel she was giving a compliment; Aunt Eller was a great character.

"No, young lady, I do not sing," Barbara said with a smile that both assured and reprimanded Rachel all at the same time. "But I know that you do. You're in the glee club at your school, right?"

"Yes!" Rachel said. "We're the New Directions at McKinley High and we just won our Sectionals competition."

The kids and Mr. Schue all started to whoop and clap at the shout-out they'd just received.

"Well, we set up a little surprise for you, if you're game," Barbara said.

Shelby looked at Barbara intently as she waited for the woman to reveal what it was. Rachel was practically dancing in her seat; she wanted to know so badly.

"We found a video of you singing in your glee club and we thought, if you wanted, we would give you the chance to sing here for us," Whoopi said. "One day when you're a big Broadway star, we can say we got the first song."

Shelby breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't some long lost relative or some other Springer-like surprise. She knew Rachel's answer before the girl even had a chance to say anything. Rachel was shocked, but happy and glowing with anticipation.

"What do you say?" Barbara asked.

"Yes, of course!" Rachel exclaimed. "I'd love to. Thank you so much!"

"It's our pleasure," Barbara said.

The show cut to commercial and Rachel could barely contain herself. Shelby thanked the women and producers for giving her daughter the opportunity and then went with Rachel over to the band leader who was supervising the quick set up of everything they needed.

"We saw your video," the band leader, Mitch, said. "We prepared 'Don't Rain on My Parade' for you, if that's ok."

"Sure!" Rachel said immediately.

Shelby had to admire her willingness to do this. It was an extremely hard song and it's not like Rachel had had a chance to warm up at all. And there wouldn't even be any time to practice. She glared back over at Barbara for a second. Great surprise. But it was an amazing opportunity and she knew Rachel was beside herself.

Shelby turned back to her daughter when she heard her quietly trying to warm her throat up. She ran through a few exercises and tried to get her head ready. Rachel sang every day and she'd been humming along on the flight. She'd even sung a few songs in the car on the way to the airport before her Daddy turned off the radio and decided to talk about things they'd already gone over ten million times. So she was fine. She could do this. She was going to be great.

"You don't have to if you don't feel ready," Shelby said to Rachel.

"I'm ready," Rachel said confidently. She would never pass up an opportunity like this. "I'm surprised they don't want you to sing with me."

"Oh, everyone has heard me sing," Shelby waved her off. "This is for you. You're going to be great."

"I know," Rachel said.

Shelby shook her head and smiled as she leaned down and kissed her forehead. A producer was ushering her off to the side because they were about to come back from commercial. Rachel waited while Whoopi Goldberg introduced her and the song and then waited for the music to start. She was ready. She was going to do this.

And do it she did. Rachel sang it like she had at Sectionals, with power and emotion. The camera caught a shot of Shelby standing next to Barbara and Whoopi and the rest of the ladies and there were tears in her eyes and a smile on her face as she watched her little girl. Rachel owned the song from start to finish and the audience was on their feet the instant it was over. Shelby walked with Whoopi and Barbara over to her and pulled her close.

"That was amazing," Whoopi said. "I know we are going to see you back here someday. Honestly. You are special."

"I couldn't agree more," Barbara said. "Thank you, Rachel."

"Thank you for letting me sing," Rachel said. "This has been really amazing."

"Shelby Corcoran and her daughter, who is most surely going to give her a run for her money one day, Rachel Berry!" Whoopi said. Applause filled the studio again and the segment went to another commercial.

Mr. Schue and the kids in the choir room had watched in awe. They knew what Rachel was capable of, but somehow it seemed different to see it on television and on display for the rest of the world to see. The chatter amongst them all started as soon as it was over.

"Rachel looked and sounded amazing."

"Who did her hair? It was perfect."

"Did you hear her?"

"Regionals, here we come."

Even Quinn and Santana joined in the chatter. They weren't exactly admitting out loud to anyone that they liked Rachel Berry, but the respect was growing. They couldn't wait for her to come back to school so they could find out what it was like to be on a TV show. Maybe they could hang out, even if Shelby Corcoran wasn't in town. Right now, Rachel seemed kind of cool on her own.

Shelby and Rachel arrived back at the apartment not long after they'd left the studio. They needed to shower and change and get back to normal clothes and not made-for-TV make-up. Rachel wanted to keep her face and hair as they were, but Shelby gently insisted she shower and change. She didn't want to spend the rest of the day looking like she was going to a photo shoot. Brian would be over after a while and then she had to get to the theater for her show that night. Shelby couldn't wait for Rachel to meet Brian.

"What are we doing the rest of the day?" Rachel asked while they were still standing in the dining room. She was doing everything she could to stall having to change out of the beautiful dress and make-up.

"We're going to hang out here until we need to leave to go to the theater tonight," Shelby said. "I got you tickets to see the show again."

Rachel's smile lit the room and she clapped excitedly a couple time. "Are they the same seats as before? Those were great seats. I love being right down front because I don't want to miss anything. I've never been to anything like that alone before. I won't really be alone because you'll be there, but it's different."

"You won't be alone anyway," Shelby said. "I've invited a friend along as well."

"Oh," Rachel said. She sighed and stared at her mother. "Did my dads tell you that I needed some sort of babysitter? Because I don't. I'm perfectly capable of sitting by myself in the theater."

"No, they didn't say that," Shelby said. Geez, where had that come from? "I just have a friend I'd like you to meet and he hasn't seen the show in a little while and said he would like to come."

"He?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Shelby answered. "My friend Brian. He's actually coming over in a little while. He's excited to meet you."

"Brian? 'It's complicated' Brian?" Rachel asked.

"What?" Shelby was confused.

"That night I first met you, I saw the flowers you had backstage and the card was signed by someone named Brian and when I asked about him you said, 'it's complicated,'" Rachel reminded her.

"Oh yeah," Shelby said. Rachel apparently had the memory of an elephant. She was going to have to keep that in mind. "He and I have been friends for a long time."

"You've been dating him for a long time?" Rachel asked.

"We've dated some, yes," Shelby said. "We're talking about it, but we're taking it slow. But however it turns out, we are very close friends."

"Oh," Rachel nodded.

Shelby wasn't sure what to say because she wasn't exactly sure how Rachel was feeling. She couldn't tell if the girl hated the idea of Brian coming over or if she was indifferent to it. She certainly didn't look excited by it.

"He's just going to hang out for a while and we'll make some dinner and then head to the theater," Shelby said. It was just after one in the afternoon and Brian wasn't expected to be there until three.

"Ok," Rachel said. Her tone was more amiable and she smiled for her mom. She tried to shrug it off, but Rachel was disappointed. She thought it was just going to be her and her mom today. Shelby had two shows tomorrow and they had to do the interview and Rachel was flying home Sunday evening. Not that she wasn't excited about the interview, but she hadn't planned on there being anyone else. But Rachel bit her tongue and nodded for Shelby.

"Ok," Shelby said. "So why don't you go and get in the shower first and get changed and then I will after you. Sound good?"

"Sure," Rachel smiled again and turned and headed towards her room, but was stopped by her mom.

"Are you ok?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah, of course," Rachel said. "I won't take too long."

"Ok," Shelby said again. She didn't know what else to say to Rachel's sudden mood change. Maybe she'd feel better after her shower.

Shelby waited until Rachel was out of the shower and dressed before she disappeared into her room to take one of her own. She had waited to make sure that Rachel didn't need anything and she smiled when the girl told her she was fine. Rachel said she would just watch some TV for a while. Rachel laid on the couch and texted with Kurt for a few minutes before eventually giving in to the early and full morning she'd had and falling asleep.

Rachel jerked awake when she heard someone knocking on the door. She sat up and waited to see if her mom was going to get it, but Rachel could still hear the water in the shower running. Rachel was met with a smiling man with warm eyes when she opened the door to see who was there.

"Hi," the man said when Rachel didn't say anything. "I'm Brian. You must be Rachel."

"Yes," Rachel confirmed.

He started to take a step forward, but she moved to her right a bit and blocked his path.

"Can I help you?" Rachel asked.

"I'm Brian," he said again. "I came by to see Shelby. She's expecting me."

"Oh yeah," Rachel said like it had slipped her mind.

"Is she here?" he asked.

"Yes, but she is currently indisposed," Rachel said. "And with all due respect, I don't really know you and feel uncomfortable letting you into the apartment while my mother is unavailable and I am alone. You can wait in the hall if you wish or you can go home and I will tell her you stopped by."

Brian stared down at this kid like she was crazy. He had a key to Shelby's apartment for crying out loud. He was a little early, he knew, but he was supposed to be there. He wanted to tell her as much, but he stopped himself. Rachel was standing up straight and defiantly and holding the door close so he couldn't get in. God, she looked like Shelby.

"I'll wait," Brian said.

"Suit yourself," Rachel said. "I'll tell her you're waiting."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically.

Brian watched as she shut the door and he heard the lock turn. He pulled out his phone and sat down on the floor across from Shelby's door. It was a lavish building with expensive apartments and he was comfortable enough. The last time he'd sat on the floor outside of her apartment had been eight years ago when she refused to answer the door after a fight they'd had. It was this apartment building though and people gave him funny looks as they passed by and saw him lying on his stomach near her door. He'd been pushing the petals from the roses he'd bought her under the door one by one and explaining why she was sorry. It took her five hours to open the door. He didn't know until sometime later that she'd been sitting on the other side listening and collecting rose petals. She still had a few of them. He hoped he didn't have to wait that long this time. He texted Shelby that he was waiting outside and would she please let him in. He figured he'd better let her know in case Rachel forgot.

Rachel went back to the couch and flopped down and shut her eyes once more. The water was still running in the background and so she got comfortable once more. Brian could wait.

Shelby took the time to dry her hair and put on a small amount of make-up before going back out to the living room to see what Rachel was up to. Brian should be there any minute now. Shelby found Rachel lying on the couch typing out a text. She looked like she'd just opened her eyes and Shelby reached down and moved some hair from her face.

"Are you sleepy, sweetheart?"

"Not really," Rachel shook her head. "I think I slept for a few minutes earlier."

"Well Brian should be here soon and we can all just relax," Shelby said.

"Ok," Rachel said and turned her attention back to the screen of her phone. She should probably mention…

Shelby left Rachel to her text and went over to the kitchen counter and picked up her phone so she could call Brian and see exactly when he'd be there. She had an alert and a text from the man in question, but her smile quickly turned into furrowed brows as she read it. She looked back at Rachel who was still looking at her phone.

"Rachel," Shelby said. "Is Brian here?"

"What? Oh yeah, he's out there. Or he was." She shrugged and went back to her phone.

Shelby quickly crossed the room to the door and swung it open and looked down at Brian who was sitting cross-legged on the floor and concentrating on a game on his phone.

"Shelby, hey," Brian said. "You're finally free." He closed out of the game and looked up at her.

"What are you talking about?" Shelby asked. She held her hand out to him. He grasped it and played like he was going to pull her down and she shot him a look so he let her help him to his feet instead.

"I was told you were indisposed," Brian explained.

"I was in the shower," Shelby told him as she led him into the apartment. "Rachel." She waited until the girl was sitting up and looking at her. "Why didn't you let him in? And why didn't you at least tell me he was outside?"

Brian was really glad he'd decided to send that text.

"I don't know him and I didn't think it would be safe to let a stranger into your house," Rachel said. "And I hadn't heard anything so I thought maybe he'd left."

"Rachel, I told you he was coming over," Shelby said.

"But I didn't know what he looked like," Rachel argued. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Brian said. "It's better to be safe."

Shelby looked at Rachel for a few more moments and then finally relented. Maybe she had a point. She hadn't shown Rachel a picture of him or anything.

"Rachel, this is Brian Bartlett. Brian, this is my daughter Rachel."

Rachel got up from the couch. She was trying not to show how displeased she was with this, but she didn't want him there right now. He seemed nice enough, but why couldn't she have met him some other time. It was just supposed to be her and her mom.

"It's nice to meet you," Rachel said flatly and held her hand out to him.

"Likewise," Brian said. "I've heard a lot about you." He shook her hand until she pulled away.

"I've heard that you're complicated," Rachel said.

"Rachel," Shelby scolded lightly. "I mentioned once that our relationship can be complicated at times."

His eyes danced with mirth and Shelby narrowed hers at him.

"I saw you on The View this morning," Brian said. "You were really wonderful, Rachel."

"Thanks," Rachel said. She was genuine now; she was never one to turn down a compliment after all. "It was a lot of fun."

"You really were great," Shelby gushed. "What did your dads think?"

"I don't know," Rachel said. "They're not home from work yet. But Kurt said it was good and he said most of the glee kids watched it together in the choir room. Even Mr. Schue."

"That's wonderful," Shelby said.

"It's pretty exciting," Rachel said. "I can't believe they all sat around to watch it together. They were all skipping class to do it."

"They wanted to see you," Shelby said. "It was pretty special. But they probably shouldn't have skipped class," Shelby added as an afterthought. She didn't want to encourage Rachel to skip any classes. Although she was here and not in school today, but Shelby decided that was beside the point.

"Everyone skips class once in a while, Shelby," Brian said.

They both turned to look at him and Rachel found herself nodding along. He was right. Not that she'd done it, but she wanted to reserve her right to do it in the future.

"They shouldn't," Shelby said. She darted her eyes over to Rachel so Brian would stop filling her head with ideas.

"I deal with students," Brian said. "They all do it."

Shelby just sighed and looked at Rachel. "What would you like to make for dinner?"

"I don't know," Rachel shrugged.

Shelby looked to Brian and he shrugged too. Rachel couldn't tell if he was mocking her or not and so she went back to the couch and sat down. "You pick, Mom."

Shelby was confused once again as she watched Rachel abruptly leave the conversation. What happened? They'd just been talking. She needed a Rachel handbook or something.

A little over an hour later, Shelby was just starting to cook. They had taken their time deciding and getting everything ready. For the most part, Rachel had stayed out of the way and out of the conversation no matter how much Shelby tried to get her to join in.

"Are you sure you don't want to help?" Shelby asked once again.

"No," Rachel said. She was sitting at the table playing with her phone and watching. "I don't think there's enough room for all of us." That last part was muttered only to herself and Rachel huffed angrily when she lost yet another game on her phone.

Rachel looked up when Shelby and Brian had their backs to her and she watched them. She'd been watching them for over an hour. She didn't see anything complicated at all. All she saw was two people who fit together perfectly. They moved together like they were dancing sometimes. No one was ever in the way and no one was ever bumped into. They seemed to be able to talk without actually saying anything out loud. This didn't look like they were taking it slow, as Shelby had said earlier. It reminded Rachel of watching her dads in the kitchen.

The only problem was, she didn't seem to fit in here. She was the one intruding on this life that her mother and Brian had. It didn't seem fair. She fit when it was just her and her mother, but now it wasn't. It never would be. That was a reality that Rachel hadn't really thought of before. Ever since they'd met, her mother had been focused only on her and their relationship. Rachel was jealous, but it felt like she couldn't explain it. Brian seemed nice and under any other circumstances, she knew she would like him a lot. But this was her weekend with her mother. Why did they have to spend time with him? Why did she have to sit next to him at the show? She wished he would have gone home instead of waiting in the hall.

The dinner was not what she expected and it took everything Shelby had to get her normally talkative daughter to open up and share in the conversation. Brian liked Rachel and was truly interested in her. He loved Shelby and he could see very clearly the adoration that the woman had for Rachel. He could tell that the girl was tense and trying to be withdrawn despite the best efforts of her mother. He couldn't presume to guess why though. He instead followed Shelby's lead throughout the evening; she knew Rachel better than he did.

Rachel did not want to hear that they had a couple hours to wait when they got to the theater. She didn't want to be crowded into Shelby's dressing room with Brian. It was bad enough she was going to have to sit next to him alone throughout the whole show.

"Mom, can I go out and walk around for a little while?" Rachel asked once they were backstage.

"Oh, umm, I don't know, Rachel," Shelby said. "I thought you'd want to hang out here."

"But you've got two more shows to do while I'm here," Rachel said. "I'll be here. Please, I just want to get out for a little bit."

"I don't know if you should go by yourself," Shelby said.

"My dads let me do it," Rachel said. "That's how I met you."

Shelby nodded and looked over at Brian. He was staying as far out of this as possible. Shelby knew that Rachel had been in the city by herself before, but now she had to worry about the paparazzi or anyone else that may try and stop her daughter to talk to her. She really had thought that Rachel would want to stay with her at the theater.

"Please, Mom," Rachel pleaded.

"Yeah… I guess so," Shelby finally said. "But you have to be back here well before the show starts. I want you in your seat at least twenty minutes before it starts."

"I will be," Rachel said.

"And don't talk to anyone and don't engage any photographers if they see you," Shelby said. "Keep your coat and hat and gloves on." She had picked up Rachel's knit hat and slid it down on her head.

"Mom," Rachel said in an annoyed fashion. She wasn't a child.

"Call me if you need anything. And if you can't come backstage really quick before it starts, text me when you get to your seat," Shelby rattled off more instructions. She was nervous about this.

"I will," Rachel said.

"You have your ticket?" Shelby asked.

"Right here," Rachel held up the little purse she was carrying. They had picked it up at the will call window on their way in.

Shelby grabbed her own purse and pulled out her wallet. "Here," she said handing Rachel $60.

"Thanks!" Rachel said as she put the money away. It didn't even occur to her to try and refuse it. Her dads had given her money before they let her go out in the city alone too. "I'll be back later."

"Remember to be in your seat twenty minutes before it starts," Shelby said.

"Ok, Mom," Rachel spoke as she looked over her shoulder at her mom. She was already on her way out the door.

Rachel walked out into the brisk evening and away from the theater towards Times Square. She was glad to have some time to herself away from Brian. She could stay away as long as possible and then she only had to get through the show with him and he'd go home at the end of the night and it would be back to being just her and her mom.

Rachel took out her phone as she walked and called her house. She wanted to check in with her dads and tell them about being on The View. They had to have seen it by now. She'd leave Brian out of it though. She didn't want to talk about him. The more she thought about it the more jealous and afraid she became. No, right now, she would just enjoy walking through her favorite city in the world.

Shelby hadn't heard anything from Rachel and she sent Brian out to check their seats fifteen minutes before the show started. He sent her a text when he got there that Rachel wasn't around. He suggested that maybe she was in the bathroom.

Shelby sent off another text to Rachel and then called her phone, but got no answer. She was beginning to panic. She should not have let her go out there alone. She had to go out and find her. She needed to find Lauren, her understudy, and tell her to get ready.

The chiming of her phone made her stop her actions and Shelby was relieved to see a text from Rachel.

"I'm on my way back," the text read. "I'll be there soon."

Shelby sent her a reply asking where she was and why she was late, but she didn't get an immediate reply. She sent another text to Brian telling him what Rachel said and to keep an eye out for her.

Shelby had to leave her phone in the dressing room a minute later so she could go and get in place for the beginning of the show. She wasn't very happy right now. She hated not knowing where Rachel was and found herself feeling angry at the girl for not being in her seat like she said she would. She better get there soon because Shelby did not know how she was going to handle it if she had to walk out of this show in the middle of it to find her kid.

Shelby was on stage when she the show started and she could see Rachel's empty seat next to Brian. She had to stay focused, but she was so worried. And really frustrated at the night's turn of events. What in the world was Rachel doing that she couldn't be back on time?

Shelby was on for another scene when she saw the light of an usher's flashlight escorting someone down the aisle. They were at least twenty-five minutes into the first act. She was in the background for this scene where Alison Young sang and so Shelby was able to watch as Rachel climbed over half a row of people with her coat and hat in her arms and finally settled in the seat next to Brian. She fidgeted for a few moments and then sat still. Shelby felt such relief wash over her as she turned her focused back to the show. She needed to brush the other feelings aside until she could talk to Rachel later, but right now she was just glad to see that the girl was safe in her seat and watching from the darkness.

**A/N – I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Again, I'm taking it slow because I don't want to skip anything. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks guys! **

**Oh and, I don't really watch The View and so I only really know of Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg on there. That's why they did all the talking. That and they're pretty cool ladies. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N – Here's the next chapter! I really hope you guys like this one and are enjoying this story. I thank you so much for the reviews and messages and alerts. Your support means the world to me. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

The first act of _Wounded Heart_ ended to much applause, Rachel's and Brian's included. He had looked over at her when she sat down nearly thirty minutes late, but she hadn't so much as sent a glance his way. When the lights came up, she immediately stood and put her jacket and hat, along with a small bag in her chair.

"Where are you going?" Brian asked. "Shelby was really worried when you didn't get back here on time."

"I told her I was on my way," Rachel shrugged. She didn't have to answer to Brian.

"But you were late," he said.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Rachel told him and started to make her way down the row and to the main aisle.

Brian just watched her go for a second and then pulled out his phone. As expected, he had a text from Shelby asking him if Rachel was ok and if she had said why she was late. Brian decided a quick phone call would be easier than texting.

"She didn't say much of anything," Brian said when Shelby picked up her phone.

"She wasn't hurt or anything, was she?" Shelby asked. "I've texted her a couple times, but she's not responding.

"She went to the bathroom," Brian said. "And she left all of her stuff here so she might not have her phone on her. All she said was that she told you she was on her way."

"She did," Shelby said. "I don't know what to do about this, Brian. Should I just ignore it? She did make it back safely."

"But you did tell her to be back at a certain time," Brian said. It was true that he didn't have any children of his own, but he was an awesome uncle and he did deal with teenage students on a regular basis. Someone had to be in charge and he had discovered that it was normally best if it wasn't the kid. "You are her mom, Shelby, not a cool friend of the family."

"I know that," Shelby said. "I just… I don't know how. What if she hates me?"

"She's not going to hate you," Brian chuckled. "It's clear to anyone who is paying attention that she worships you."

"I know," Shelby sighed. "That's part of the problem. She still sees her favorite actress sometimes and not just me, her mom. What if she doesn't like her mom as much as she likes the actress?"

"Oh Shelby, she will. She does," Brian said. "What would her dads do in this situation?"

"Talk to her, at least," Shelby said. "I wonder if I should call them and ask for advice."

"You can talk to her on your own, Shelby," Brian said. "Trust me on this one; no kid ever takes kindly to being told on."

"You're right," Shelby said.

"Just… be her mom. You set a rule and she broke it. Talk to her. Give her a consequence," Brian advised. "Or at least explain that there will be a consequence if she does it again."

"Ok," Shelby said. "Ok. I've got to run. I'll see you after the show."

Give Rachel a consequence. She could do that. She would just have to talk to her and that would be that. But what's a good consequence? And what does she do if Rachel hates her? She had to be a parent and not a friend. Hiram and LeRoy had told her that too. She could do it. It's what she wanted, after all. She wanted to be her mother and not a good buddy. Rachel had even told her that she wants her to be her mom. Ok. Shelby the mom and Rachel the daughter were going to have a talk and they were going to leave the actress and the fan at the door.

As soon as the show ended, Brian and Rachel made their way backstage and to Shelby's dressing room.

"You were wonderful, Shelby," Brian said when she gave them permission to enter.

"Thanks," Shelby smiled and readily accepted his sweet kiss.

"It was so good, Mom," Rachel gushed. "I don't think I'd ever get tired of watching it."

"Thanks, sweetie," Shelby said. "You're going to get to see it twice more while you're here, including all of the first act."

It wasn't meant to be harsh, but Rachel ducked her head all the same.

"I'm sorry. I was talking on the phone with Kurt and didn't realize how far away I had walked," Rachel said. "I didn't mean to be late." She was telling the truth.

Shelby immediately felt bad when she noticed Rachel's downcast expression and she saw the girl dart her eyes over to look at Brian and then back at her hands.

"Don't worry about it right now," Shelby soothed her and pulled Rachel in for a hug. "We'll chat about it later." A chat seemed much nicer than a talk.

"Ok," Rachel said and she sank into the hug.

Rachel and Brian waited in silence while Shelby made her rounds at the stage door. Rachel asked if they could walk back to the apartment when it was time to leave, but Shelby said no because they were going to take a cab to Brian's place first to drop him off and it was too far and much too cold. She promised Rachel that they'd walk back to her apartment tomorrow after the matinee show.

Shelby got out of the cab with Brian when they reached his building to say goodbye. Rachel hadn't even looked up from the game she was playing on her phone when she had said goodbye in the cab.

"I'm sorry about how this all turned out," Shelby said. "I know I just met her, but I've never seen her like this. I was so excited for the two of you to hit it off."

"Don't worry about it," Brian said. "There's plenty of time for us to figure it out later."

"I'm sure she's really tired," Shelby said. "It's been a really long and exciting day for her."

"Honestly, Shelby, don't worry about it," Brian said. "She's a teenage girl. She's probably in some mood or something."

Shelby laughed lightly with him and then let him pull her close in a warm hug. Neither noticed Rachel watching from inside the cab and she was back to concentrating on her game when Shelby got back in the car.

"Ok, Rach, let's go home," Shelby smiled and Rachel finally put her game down and looked up.

"Ok." Her happy smile was back and Shelby didn't know what to make of the sudden change in demeanor. Had she been this confusing when she was a teenager? Surely not. Rachel was glad to have her mother back to herself now that Brian was gone and she simply loved the reality that she had a place she could call home in New York City now.

Shelby did nothing to hide her yawn as she and Rachel finally entered her apartment that night. It had been a really long day and Shelby was still getting used to her routine of getting up early. Just a month ago she would have been up until two or three in the morning and been able to sleep later in the morning. Now it was just after eleven and Shelby was ready to crash. And to top it off, they needed to get up at five the next morning so that they could get ready for the interview with Katie Couric. It was going to be another full day tomorrow because of the interview and then having to do two shows.

Shelby locked her door behind them and then looked at Rachel who was taking off her coat and gloves. She needed to have a talk with the girl before either of them went to sleep; not that Rachel looked all that tired. But surely she had to be. Shelby thought back the first time Rachel had stayed the night at her house and the girl had sat up until she was falling asleep on the couch. Shelby had to tell her to go to bed directly before the girl went. That's what she was going to have to do tonight as well. But first they needed to talk.

"Hey, Rach," Shelby said before Rachel could walk into the living room.

"Yeah?" Rachel stopped and looked back at her.

"Let's have a little talk, ok," Shelby said as she picked up Rachel's coat from the chair it had been slung over and hung it up in the closet.

"Ok," Rachel smiled. She was glad it was just the two of them now. They'd get to just hang out now and watch a movie. Or maybe she could get her mother to show her some of her own baby pictures. That would be a lot of fun and Rachel would love that.

"Ok," Shelby let out a breath. "Where were you tonight? Why were you late? I told you that you needed to be back at least twenty minutes before the show started."

Rachel's smile faded when she heard her mother's questions. This was not what she wanted to talk about. What did it matter anyway?

"I told you, I didn't realize how far I had walked from the theater and I just didn't make it back in time," Rachel said.

"I know that and I understand," Shelby said, "but you should have been paying more attention. I was really worried. Why didn't you answer any of my calls or texts?"

"I texted you," Rachel defended herself. "I told you I was on the way back."

"I called you several times and you didn't answer the phone," Shelby pointed out to her.

"I was talking with someone," Rachel said. "And I assumed you were busy."

"Too busy to talk to you when I was the one calling?" Shelby asked. She did not understand that logic at all. "I was trying to make sure you were ok."

"Of course I was ok," Rachel said. This was ridiculous. Why did it suddenly feel like she was in trouble here?

"But I didn't know that," Shelby said. "You were by yourself in New York City. I wanted you to be back that early because I wanted to know that you were safe before the show started. I was ready to leave the show to go and find you when I saw you walk in."

"That's crazy," Rachel said. "I told you I was fine and on my way back to the theater. My dads let me go out by myself."

"I know that," Shelby said. "But if they had given you a certain time to be back at the hotel, would you have followed their instructions?"

Shelby nodded when Rachel looked down.

"That's all I wanted, baby. I just needed to know that you were safe and back at the theater before the show started," Shelby said.

"But I was safe," Rachel argued.

"I know that now, Rachel, but it doesn't change the fact that you weren't back when you were supposed to be," Shelby told her.

"It's not a big deal," Rachel said. "It's not my fault I got lost."

"But you also weren't paying attention," Shelby said. "If you were lost and worried about getting back on time, you would have called me when you realized it."

"I sent you a text," Rachel whined.

"Rachel, were you even paying attention to the time?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah," Rachel said though it wasn't really convincing. She had wanted to spend as little time as possible with Brian and so she wasn't really that upset that she would be late. She had assumed that her mother wouldn't think it was a big deal. She hadn't expected to be lectured. Her mom hadn't been like this before.

"For the rest of the time you're here with me this weekend, you are not going to be allowed to go off by yourself," Shelby said. Her eyes softened when Rachel pouted and then glared up at her.

"That's not fair," Rachel complained. She didn't even really want to go anywhere by herself, but she didn't like being told that she couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Rach, but that's how it has to be this weekend," Shelby said. She absolutely did not like that her daughter was mad at her. She was doing her best not to give in to the whining and the pouting. She kept having to remind herself that she had every right to make this decision and enforce it.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Rachel let her voice get soft and hurt because she thought it might get her farther than yelling.

"I'm sure you didn't," Shelby said gently. She wanted to pull Rachel into a big hug and just forget it. "But you also didn't listen. It's just for a couple days and I want to get to spend as much time with you as possible anyways. If you go off by yourself, where does that leave me?" Shelby asked with a small, nervous laugh to try and lighten the mood.

"You'd think of something," Rachel mumbled. She'd just invite Brian over.

Shelby sighed when Rachel did not return her sentiment. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was almost 11:30. She was so tired. Five the next morning was going to come awfully quick.

"Are we done?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Shelby said. She watched as Rachel turned and started to walk towards the living room. "Where are you going?"

"To watch a movie," Rachel answered without looking back. She was mad, but she hoped her mother would follow so they could watch together.

"No, honey, not tonight," Shelby stopped her. "It's time for bed."

"What?" Rachel was incredulous as she spun back around.

"We need to be up early for the interview," Shelby said. "Come on now, watching a movie can wait."

Rachel seethed and did her best to resist stamping her foot in protest. She couldn't believe her mother was also making her go to bed early as punishment for not being back in time. She couldn't be in the city by herself and now she was being sent to bed? She was not some little kid. Her foot stamped almost involuntarily at that last thought.

"I'm not tired," Rachel whined.

"I think you are, sweetheart," Shelby said kindly. She wasn't trying to make Rachel feel bad; she just knew that they would be up early. And today had been such a long and busy day for both of them. By any reasonable measure, it was time to go to bed.

"No, I'm not!" Rachel said as she stomped down the hall to her room.

Shelby jumped when the door slammed and then ran her hands over her face. What had just happened? She knew one thing; she did not like being the bad guy.

Fifteen minutes later Rachel was changed and lying in bed, but she hadn't turned the light off. Her arms were crossed angrily over her chest and there was a scowl on her face. She wasn't tired and she would prove it. She'd lie here awake all night if she had to.

She darted her eyes to the door when there was a knock just before it opened to reveal her mother. Rachel was surprised to see that Shelby had also washed her face and brushed her hair and was in a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. She had just assumed that her mother would be staying up later. Her dads always did when they sent her to bed early for some misdeed or another.

"Goodnight, Rachel," Shelby said from the doorway. "I love you."

"I love you too," Rachel said crossly. She couldn't help but saying it back. She didn't think she'd ever be over the joy of hearing her mother tell her she loved her.

Shelby bit back her smile. "Are you comfortable like that?"

"I'm fine," Rachel said shortly. "I told you I wasn't tired."

"Right," Shelby said. "Well I'm tired so I'm going to go lay down. I'll be in my room if you need me. Come and get me if you need anything at all."

Rachel just nodded and resisted rolling her eyes. She wasn't three.

"Ok, goodnight."

"Night," Rachel said as she continued to stare straight ahead.

Shelby turned the light off and shut the door behind her and made her way over to her own bedroom. She caught up on some messages on her phone, mostly from Meredith and one from Brian asking how it went. She texted with him for close to ten minutes before finally telling him goodnight.

Shelby was about to turn off her own light and lie down, but she couldn't help wanting to check on Rachel one more time. She quietly opened the girl's bedroom door and smiled widely at what she saw. Rachel was slumped down on the pillow with her arms still crossed loosely over her chest, but she was sleeping.

"Not tired, huh young lady," Shelby whispered as she crossed the room to the bed.

Shelby adjusted the sleeping girl so that she was lying down more comfortably and held the blankets while Rachel rolled over and into her normal sleep position. She then pulled the blankets close and tucked Rachel in properly before kissing her head softly. There was something really amazing about getting to tuck the girl into bed.

"Sleep well, tired girl," Shelby whispered.

Shelby was asleep the moment her head hit her own pillow.

The alarm that started blaring a little more than five hours later startled Shelby out of her sleep and she tried to rationalize in her head how it couldn't possibly be time to get up as she slapped her hand down on the clock to make the awful noise stop. Why did she agree to do this interview this early? Oh right, two shows to do and a daughter to hang out with that day. She hoped Rachel wasn't still angry with her this morning.

It took a few minutes, but Shelby finally dragged herself out of bed and got in the shower. She figured she'd let Rachel sleep for a little bit longer while she got ready herself. When the shower was over, Shelby threw on a t-shirt and some sweats because her team would be there soon to help with getting ready for the interview.

It didn't look like Rachel had even stirred from the position she was in last night when Shelby left the room. The girl was still curled in a ball and sleeping soundly and Shelby wished she could let her sleep in.

"Rachel," Shelby said lightly as she sat on the bed and gently shook the girl's shoulder. "Honey."

"What?" Rachel mumbled. She pulled the blankets closer and as if that would somehow block her from the annoyance.

"It's time to get up," Shelby said. She pulled the blankets back a little bit and shook Rachel again.

"No," Rachel whined. She was resisting opening her eyes.

"Come on, sweetheart," Shelby cooed. "You've got to get up and get in the shower. Everyone will be here soon to help us get ready."

"Ok," Rachel muttered, but didn't move. She was excited, she was, but it was so early.

"Ok," Shelby said. "Get up. I'll start to get breakfast ready."

"'K," Rachel said.

Shelby got up and left the room and Rachel pulled the blankets back up to her chin and went right back to sleep.

Shelby stood in the kitchen and drank her coffee while pulling out cereal and then deciding against it and opening the refrigerator to get eggs and bacon. She was in the mood for a real breakfast. She also pulled out a roll of biscuits and pre-heated the oven.

"Rachel," Shelby called down the hallway. She hadn't heard or seen the girl yet. And the bathroom in the hall was still empty.

Shelby took a second to get down a bowl to crack the eggs into and two plates. "Rach."

Shelby took a last sip of her coffee and poured another cup before setting it down on the counter and going to see what Rachel was doing. She groaned when she saw the girl was still in bed.

"Rachel, come on. You've got to get up."

"Why?" Rachel whined once again when her sleep was disturbed. "Don't."

She did not like that her mother was now pulling the blankets all the way off of her. Rachel finally opened her eyes to give her mother an incredulous stare.

"Come on, I know it's early, but you need to get up," Shelby said. "We can come back here and relax for a little bit after the interview."

"Mom," Rachel whined when Shelby pulled her into a sitting position.

"I know," Shelby commiserated with her. "But your public awaits."

That got Rachel's attention and she sighed, but finally moved her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Shelby didn't take the chance of leaving her again and instead walked with Rachel to the bathroom and turned the shower on her for her.

"You've got ten minutes, so you better hurry," Shelby told her. "Just put on some clothes to lounge around in and we'll change when everyone else gets here. I'm going to make us some breakfast."

"Ok," Rachel said as the sleep was finally starting to wear off. Now that she was up and standing a hot shower sounded wonderful.

The interview went really well and Rachel enjoyed getting to meet and talk with Katie Couric. The studio they had been in was calming and Rachel relaxed from being wound up at getting her hair and make-up done again and really gave some insightful and sweet answers. They were finished by noon and made it back to the apartment in time to have lunch.

"We'll have to leave for the theater in about forty-five minutes," Shelby said. Her matinee show was at two.

"Can we walk there?" Rachel asked. Walking around in New York City even in the cold weather was something she loved. She wanted to walk with Shelby and get the chance to talk about nothing and maybe hear some more stories about her mother's past.

"I don't think we'll have time," Shelby answered. "We still need to each lunch and get changed.

"Ok," Rachel said as she wandered down the hall and to her room so she could change from the clothes she'd worn for the interview.

Shelby sighed at the disappointment in Rachel's voice, but overall she was pleased that Rachel had been in a good mood during the interview and the bits of attitude that showed their head last night were nowhere to be found.

Shelby went into her room to change as well and was just slipping off her shoes when her phone rang. She thought it might be Brian, but the name on her screen was Hiram Berry. She flopped down on the bed before she answered it.

"Hello," Shelby answered with a smile.

"Hey, Shelby," LeRoy said. She knew they had it on speaker phone.

"How are you guys? Did you want to talk to Rachel?" Shelby asked. She wondered why they hadn't called her phone.

"No, we called to talk to you," Hiram said.

"Oh," was Shelby's response. Her mind raced with the reasons why. Had Rachel called them to complain about Shelby's no going out alone rule? Did they want Rachel to come home early? Did Rachel want to go home early? The girl hadn't said anything… "What's up?"

"We just wanted to see how you were doing," LeRoy said.

"How did the interview go this morning?" Hiram asked. "Rachel was so excited about The View when we talked to her yesterday."

"Oh, yeah it went really well," Shelby breathed a sigh of relief. "Rachel held her own. I have a feeling she's going to be quite savvy at handling the media one day."

"I don't doubt it," Hiram said with a laugh.

"Is everything else going ok?" LeRoy said.

"Yeah, kind of," Shelby said.

"Kind of?"

Shelby debated telling Rachel's fathers about her getting back to the theater late because she didn't want it to seem like she was telling on the girl, but they had promised they would keep her informed about everything going on with Rachel, and so she was going to do the same.

"I let her go off for a little while by herself yesterday," Shelby said. "We were at the theater, Brian was with us, and she asked if she could walk around for a little while before the show started."

"Is she ok?" Hiram asked.

"Yeah, of course," Shelby said. "I didn't want to let her at first. I was worried about her being alone and I was worried that someone might recognize her and try and talk to her or take her picture."

"But…"

"But she really wanted to," Shelby said. "And she's fifteen and I didn't want to be stifling. And I don't think she liked Brian, so I let her go. But I told her that she needed to be back twenty minutes before the show started so that I would know where she was and that she was safe."

"How late was she?" LeRoy asked.

"She came in and sat down about thirty minutes into the first act," Shelby said. "I was so worried. She wouldn't answer her phone and she only texted me once to say she was on her way back."

"Where was she?" LeRoy asked in a knowing tone.

"She said she didn't realize it, but she had walked too far and so just couldn't make it back on time," Shelby said. "She said she'd been talking on the phone and so she couldn't answer my calls. When we got back to my place I told her that she wasn't allowed to go off by herself for the rest of the weekend." She really hoped that was ok. She was trying not to fish outright for any type of validation because she still felt bad that Rachel had been mad at her.

"That's exactly what you should have done," LeRoy said. Shelby smiled slightly.

"And don't let her get you to change that," Hiram said. "You've got to stick to it, ok? She might try and test you, but you are the mom, Shelby."

"She was angry at me," Shelby admitted.

"That's ok," LeRoy said. "You did the right thing, Shelby."

"And stick to it," Hiram said. "She might try and test you, but you are her mom."

"You make it sound so easy," Shelby said. "It's not easy."

"No, it's not," LeRoy said. "But it's worth it."

"I know," Shelby said. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Hiram said. "Besides, her attitude probably didn't last long, right?"

"No. But it was late and I made her go to bed," Shelby said. "She said she wasn't tired, but-"

"But was asleep in a few minutes, right?" Hiram asked.

"Yeah," Shelby smiled.

"She loves you, Shelby," LeRoy said. "Just remember that. Whether she's giving you big hugs or big attitude, she loves you. But because this relationship is brand new, she's got to learn her place in it. She's being a kid and will test you and break the rules and you've got to be consistent and give her consequences, and you're already doing that. You listened, you were fair and you made the right decision. So stop worrying about it."

"Ok," Shelby smiled. She was a mom. She was doing this.

"Mom?" Rachel knocked on the door and opened it slightly so she could peek in. She didn't want to just barge in on her in case she might be changing.

"She showed me the pictures and told me the rock story," Shelby said into the phone as she motioned for Rachel to come in. She was grinning.

"Mom!" Rachel whined.

Hiram and LeRoy both started to laugh.

Rachel crawled into the bed and lied down next to her mother. "We don't have to talk about that again."

Shelby had deliberately changed the subject when Rachel had knocked on her door.

"Want to talk to your dads?"

Rachel held her hand out and started to scold her dads as soon as she had the phone.

"I can't believe that's the album you sent along. That wasn't very nice."

Hiram and LeRoy laughed again and started to talk to Rachel about the interview that morning. They didn't bring up Rachel being late to the theater or that Shelby had given her a light restricting. They were in the loop and that was enough for them. They wouldn't interfere between mother and daughter unless something major had happened. Shelby had to make her own decisions on this without any worry that she would be under minded by them. And unless it was something huge, they didn't want Rachel to feel like she was always going to be scolded again since it was already taken care of.

Shelby went into her bathroom to wash her face and she listened as Rachel chatted with her dads for a few minutes before the conversation ended. Shelby glanced at her watch and knew they would have to leave soon. When Shelby went back out to her closet to get some different clothes to put on, she noticed that Rachel was still holding her phone, but had dozed off. Shelby carefully retrieved her phone from the girl's hand and took a picture. It was so cute.

As Shelby finished changing, she knew they wouldn't have time to eat lunch there and so she made a quick call to arrange for some food to be delivered to her dressing room.

"Rachel," Shelby said. "Wake up. We've got to go to the theater."

Rachel stretched and rolled to her back and blinked a few times. She then rolled to her other side so she was facing her mom and settled into the pillow. "Ok."

Shelby had heard that one before and went to Rachel's side and placed a hand on the girl's hip and patted it a few times. "Up we go, sweetheart."

Rachel opened her eyes again and sat up and shook the sleep off. "Can we walk to the theater?"

"Not this time," Shelby answered. "We're running late. Go get your shoes on."

"Are we going to have lunch?" Rachel asked.

"I ordered some Chinese food and it should be at the theater by the time we get there," Shelby said.

"Is Brian going to be there?"

"Not today," Shelby said. She wished they had more time right now because Shelby really wanted to talk to her about Brian.

"Will you buy me a car?" Racked asked sweetly.

"What?" Shelby asked.

"It seemed like a good time to slip that in," Rachel's smile was full of mischief.

"Nice try, young lady," Shelby said with a laugh. "Get your shoes."

Shelby took Rachel by the arm and turned her and sent her out of the room with a light pat to the girl's bottom. She stood still in shock when she realized what she had done. Growing up, her best friend's mother had doled those same pats out to her and Shelby had always wished that her mother had shown her the same type of affection. It had just come naturally and she hadn't planned to do it to Rachel. But she wasn't sure how the girl felt about that or how her fathers would feel about it. She didn't want to make Rachel uncomfortable. But the girl hadn't given any indication that she didn't like it or that it made her upset. In fact, she hadn't even stopped and looked back.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked when she came back with her shoes and saw her mother just standing there.

"Rachel, I'm sorry," Shelby said. "I didn't mean to do that."

"What?" Rachel asked. She was confused by her mother's sudden change in demeanor.

"I patted your bu- bottom," Shelby said. "I just-"

"Oh. Whatever," Rachel waved her off. "I'm used to that. And you're my mom so it's not like it's weird or anything."

Shelby laughed and finally moved from her spot. She was relieved that the show of affection was ok and hadn't made her daughter uncomfortable. She and Rachel made their way out to the living room where they both put their shoes on.

"As long as it's not a spanking," Rachel said with a mock warning tone. She hoped.

Shelby laughed again and pulled Rachel close so she could kiss her head.

"I'd probably never have to do that anyway," Shelby said with a smile. Would she? She was lost in thought for a few seconds until Rachel handed her her coat.

"Can I hail the cab?" Rachel asked as they were getting in the elevator.

"Sure," Shelby said. "You bet."

They got to the theater and Shelby had just enough time to quickly eat something before she had to start getting ready for the show. Rachel tinkered around the dressing room for a bit, but grew bored.

"Mom, can I run to one of the shops real quick and look around?"

Shelby looked up at her daughter's hopeful eyes and earnest face and knew she had to deny the request.

"No," Shelby answered. "Remember, I said you wouldn't be going off alone the rest of the time you were here."

"But the shop I want to go in is only like a block away," Rachel argued. "I've got plenty of time."

"No," Shelby said again. "Not this time. We can stop by there when we leave if you want."

"But, Mom," Rachel whined.

"I'm sorry, Rach," Shelby said. "No."

Rachel slumped down in her seat and pouted. Shelby turned away so she could finish getting ready. Rachel had been fascinated by the dressing room the first time she had been in here and now she seemed bored. Even though Rachel was acting petulant, Shelby saw it as a good thing. The luster of her stardom and Rachel seeing her as a fan might was wearing off. Rachel was pouting because her mom told her no and even though they were sitting in her dressing room, the girl didn't see the Shelby Corcoran right now. She saw her mother being completely unreasonable.

When the time came for Rachel to find her seat, Shelby walked her as far as she could and told her to be good. Despite their argument, Rachel was so excited to be seeing the show again. She didn't think that excitement would ever wear off.

Rachel was thrilled that there wasn't anyone she knew sitting with her when the show started. She was just as enthralled with it as the first time she had seen it. She truly didn't understand people who didn't love live theater. To Rachel it was the most amazing thing in the world. Rachel sat by herself and didn't worry about anyone around her. Her mom was up on that stage and she was incredible.

When the show was over, Rachel made her way backstage and waited for her mom to finish up with the stage door. Shelby was about to go into the dressing room to get Rachel when she was stopped by one of the younger actors in the show. He'd only been in the ensemble about two weeks and this was his first ever Broadway show. He was twenty.

"Ms. Corcoran, can- can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Frank," Shelby said as she stopped and gave him her attention. "And please call me Shelby."

"Shelby, my parents came into town today to surprise me," Frank said. "They flew in from Iowa. They weren't supposed to come until next month, but they said they couldn't wait."

"That's wonderful!" Shelby said. "I know they must be so proud of you."

"Thanks," Frank said.

"Are they coming to see the show?" Shelby asked.

"Umm, actually, they want to, but there's only one ticket available."

Shelby nodded. She understood what he wanted.

"I know your daughter is in town and that's fantastic and she has every right to see the show-"

"You don't even have to ask," Shelby said. "You can have Rachel's seat so that you've got two. Of course. Nothing should get in the way of your parents seeing your first Broadway show." It had taken her parents almost a year to come and see hers.

"Thank you so much!" Frank said. "Tell your daughter I'm so sorry."

"Don't even worry about it," Shelby said. Rachel had seen it twice this trip and three times total. She'd be just fine if she didn't get to see it that night too. "I hope you'll bring your parents backstage after the show. I'd love to meet them."

"Really?" Frank asked. "They're big fans of yours."

"I'd love to," Shelby repeated. "Make sure they have their camera. They will want to get pictures."

"Thanks, Shelby!" Frank was beaming at her.

"You're absolutely welcome," Shelby said. "I'll call the ticket off right now."

"Thank you," Frank said again. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Frank."

Shelby took a minute to call the ticket off and have the reserve tickets put in Frank's name before going to get Rachel.

"Can we walk back to the apartment?" Rachel asked when Shelby told her it was time to go.

"Sorry," Shelby said. "We're going to dinner. I want to take you to one of my favorite places, if that's ok with you."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "Is it good?"

"It's the best," Shelby said. "Otherwise it wouldn't be my favorite, silly."

Shelby was right. The food was amazing and they had their own spot in the corner of the restaurant and Rachel had ordered something brand new at Shelby's suggestion and had loved it. Then she ate some of Shelby's meal and loved that too. She wanted to know if they could eat there again the next day.

"Rachel, listen, something came up with the evening show," Shelby said over dessert.

"Are you still going to be in it?" Rachel asked with a mouthful of chocolate cake.

Somewhere in the month that she'd known Rachel, Shelby had developed the mom 'don't talk with your mouth full' look and gave it to Rachel.

"Yes, I'm still going to be in it, but I'm afraid that you won't be able to see it," Shelby said.

"What? Why? I want to."

"I know, sweetheart, but something important came up and you've already seen it twice this weekend," Shelby told her.

"But I missed some of the first act last night," Rachel complained.

"Which was your fault," Shelby reminded her.

Shelby explained the situation and she could tell that Rachel understood even if she wasn't happy about it.

"Why couldn't they see it tomorrow?" Rachel asked.

"Sweetie, don't be like that," Shelby said. "Just imagine how exciting you're going to be when your fathers and me go to your first show. Frank has as much right to those extra tickets as I do and he needs them."

"Fine," Rachel said. "But what if I never get to see it again?"

"You will see it again," Shelby said with a laugh. "I promise."

"Are you going to take me back to your apartment before the show?" Rachel asked. "I don't have a key. Can I have a key?"

"Of course you can have a key," Shelby said. "But you're not staying at the apartment by yourself. You're still coming to the theater with me. You can wait backstage."

"What?" Rachel was incredulous. "I don't want to do that. Why can't I stay at the apartment? I'm home alone all the time. It's not a big deal."

"Rachel, you know why," Shelby said.

"But I'm not going out alone," Rachel argued. "I'd just be staying home alone. I'll just watch movies or TV or something."

Shelby took a deep breath. Rachel did have a point and she didn't want the girl to think that she didn't trust her by herself, but it was enough to make Shelby take pause and she knew she wanted Rachel with her at the theater. They could work those things out on Rachel's next visit. And she wanted to stick to the restriction she had set forth. Yes, she had said no to her going out alone, but this was alone. And she was not going to take the chance of Rachel deciding that she could leave the apartment for whatever reason and going out.

"Not this time," Shelby said. "You're coming with me."

"But what am I supposed to do the entire time?" Rachel asked.

"You can hang out in my dressing room or you can watch from backstage as long as you stay out of the way," Shelby said. "Sit and play on your phone. It's not like it's going to be all night or anything."

"Long enough," Rachel said. "And I need to charge my phone. I won't be able to do anything with it."

"Well you're in luck because I've got a charger in my dressing room," Shelby said.

"This is so unfair," Rachel said and she slapped her fork down on the table.

"That's enough!" Shelby said sternly.

They were both caught by surprise because even with the talking to the night before, Shelby had never raised her voice at Rachel.

"I don't know why you're treating me like a child," Rachel said. "I'm not a little kid."

"You're acting like one," Shelby said. "And I hate to break it to you, Rach, but you are not a grown up either. You're a young teenager. I'm sorry if you feel this is unfair, but you are coming to the theater with me. I truly hope you'll be spending a lot of time with me in New York and we will work out when and where you can go on your own, but it won't be this visit. You lost that privilege this time, ok?"

Rachel nodded and looked down at the table. She felt chastised, but she was angry about it.

"When we get back to the apartment tonight after the show, I vote we sit up and just talk," Shelby said. She lightened her tone and hoped that Rachel would listen. "It's been so busy the whole time you've been here and so tonight we'll sit up as late as we want and munch on snacks and just talk."

"You promise?" Rachel asked as she looked up at her.

"I promise," Shelby said. "Now finish up your cake before I eat it all."

Rachel didn't smile but she picked her fork back up and took another bite. Shelby sat back and watched and wondered just where she'd pulled that little lecture from. It had come to her a lot easier than it had last night. It didn't stop her from wanting to gather up Rachel in a hug and promising to give her anything to make her happy to make up for punishing her. Shelby wasn't exactly sure, but she couldn't help but feel she was going to be battling with those emotions for a long time.

The show seemed to last forever for Rachel. She had played around in Shelby's dressing room but that got really boring really quickly. She watched some from backstage and that was cool, but she was so annoyed that she didn't want to admit to enjoying it. She was so relieved when the final song started. She couldn't wait to get out of there and get home and just be with her mom and talk like Shelby had promised. She wished she didn't feel tired because she was determined to stay up as late as possible.

She met Shelby as she was coming off stage and walked with her back to the dressing room. She did her best to hurry her mother along, but her progress was stopped when Frank came by and introduced his parents after Shelby had changed. Shelby talked with them and took pictures and Rachel stayed in the dressing room so she wouldn't glare at Frank and roll her eyes at how happy the couple was to meet Shelby.

Then she had to wait while Shelby signed autographs at the stage door. They were never going to get home. Rachel went to check on what was taking so long and peeked outside and saw that it was snowing.

"Can we walk home?" Rachel asked as soon as Shelby opened the door to her dressing room to get her.

"Sure," Shelby finally gave in. Rachel had asked enough times and so it was clear how much she wanted to. "It's snowing."

"I know!"

Shelby made sure Rachel was bundled with her jacket tight and her hat and gloves securely in place. She put a scarf around Rachel's neck and then did up her own.

"Let's go."

Rachel looked up in wonder when they got to Times Square. The snow was mixing with the bright lights and everything looked so magically. She didn't even really care that it was so cold.

"So why did you want to walk so badly?" Shelby asked.

"I love to walk through New York City," Rachel said. "I always make my dads take long walks with me when we come. The city is so cool and there's always something to see. And now it's so pretty with the snow. I love it here so much."

"I'm glad," Shelby said.

She put an arm around Rachel's shoulders and rubbed a bit to help her stay warm.

"Will you still be living here in a few years when I move to New York?" Rachel asked.

"You can count on it," Shelby told her. "You could stay with me until you get settled."

"Will you take me to Hollywood too?" Rachel asked. "And England? And Australia?"

"Whoa, slow down," Shelby laughed. "I've got a house in California so we can definitely go there. And I love to travel and I would love to have you with me wherever I go. We'll have to plan a vacation together."

"Will you take me with you the next time you film a movie so I can see it?" Rachel asked.

"You could certainly come and visit," Shelby said. "School will be most important though."

"Yeah," Rachel rolled her eyes.

"When are you going to make another movie?" Rachel asked. "You'd have to leave the show first. You're not going to leave the show anytime soon, are you?"

"Not soon," Shelby said. "But probably within the year."

"Why?"

"To spend time with you," Shelby answered. "To look at new opportunities and roles to play. When I start to look at things like that, I'll talk to you about it, from a business perspective. Would you like that?"

"That'd be awesome," Rachel said. "I want to learn everything about being in the business."

Shelby smiled as Rachel took her hand and they continued their walk. It was getting late, almost eleven, but this was so nice. She planned to work these long walks into every visit with Rachel since she knew how much the girl liked it now. And she loved that they were talking. This moment in the snow was a highlight for her.

Rachel's cheeks were red and her nose was running by the time they reached the apartment. Shelby wasn't fairing much better and she was looking forward to getting them inside so they could warm up and stop sniffling. She was already planning on making hot chocolate and changing into warm sweats and fuzzy socks.

Neither of them spoke on the elevator ride and Shelby was the first to step off. Rachel bumped into her mother because Shelby had stopped short when she saw who was waiting near her door.

"It's about time you brought that child in from the cold. And what are you doing out so late with her? That's not how a mother is supposed to act."

Shelby shut her eyes and pursed her lips to keep herself from saying something in retort. Instead she looked at Rachel and softened her expression because she could see that the girl was confused.

"Rachel, this is Evelyn Corcoran. My mother."

**A/N – I hope you all liked this chapter! Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. Your feedback is so important to me. Thanks! **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N – Here's the next chapter! Thank you all so much for your reviews and notes and for all of the encouragement you all still give me. Your feedback is so appreciated and helps me so much. I hope everyone likes this chapter. And I apologize for a bit of a delay in getting this chapter out. Sorry about that!**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

"Mom, this is my daughter, Rachel Berry," Shelby said to complete the introductions.

Shelby's voice was suddenly weary and not lively like it had been during the spirited conversation she'd just had with her daughter as they walked home. Rachel could tell the difference right away. Evelyn turned her unrelenting stare from her daughter to the new creature in front of her. Her eyes bore into Rachel causing the girl to flinch unconsciously.

Rachel looked back and forth between her mother's gentle gaze and Evelyn's hard and stern expression. The woman was staring at her and Rachel was extremely unnerved by it. Something about this woman made her feel uneasy and she took a step closer to Shelby. She maneuvered herself so she could stand somewhat behind her mother. She hadn't done something like this since she was little and always had to hide behind one of her fathers at the local ice cream parlor they used to go to. Rachel had overheard a teenage employee telling his buddy that the ice cream scoops would be perfect weapons for zombie because then the zombies could scoop your brains out. Rachel was convinced from then on out that the woman who owned the store and all of her employees were zombies. She only braved going into the place with her fathers because the ice cream was so good. It had taken them months, though, to figure out why she was scared of ice cream scoops.

But this feeling of anxiousness went beyond the fear of zombie ice cream parlors. Evelyn Corcoran was tall; at least five inches taller than Shelby, and hard and looking down at Rachel as if the girl had done something to personally offend her. Rachel could see the hints of family resemblance, but she looked into her mother's kind eyes and felt grateful that the resemblances stopped with brown hair and like skin tone. She suddenly wondered what Shelby's father looked like.

"It is rude not to say anything when you've been introduced to someone, let alone an elder and a member of your family," Evelyn said to Rachel.

"Hi," Rachel said softly.

Evelyn couldn't see it, but Rachel lifted a still-gloved hand and grasped onto the back of Shelby's coat. Rachel normally wasn't this intimidated by new people and she certainly knew how to hold her own and defend herself, verbally at least, but this was different. This wasn't some stupid kid making fun of her in school, this was her grandmother. But this woman didn't seem as if she were anything like Rachel's other grandmothers. Rachel wanted to give the woman the benefit of the doubt because she'd only just met her, but Shelby's body language and tone of voice weren't helping. Her mom was not happy to see Evelyn and the annoyance went far beyond how her dads felt sometimes when their parents were in town.

"Mom," Shelby sighed. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Evelyn asked. "Expect manners? Though I suppose I shouldn't. That's what you get for having a baby for those people."

Rachel stood up straighter and her grip on Shelby's jacket tightened and her eyes narrowed. Rachel may be intimidated, but she wasn't going to tolerate any attacks on her fathers.

"Stop," Shelby said before Rachel could say something. "Just stop."

"Fine," Evelyn said. "Well are we going to stand in the hallway all night long or are you going to open the door and let us in. It's clear she's still freezing."

Shelby didn't say a word as she pulled out her keys and opened the door. Evelyn and her suitcase went in first and then Shelby was able to get Rachel to let go and walk into the apartment. Rachel waited by Shelby's side though as the woman locked the door.

"What are you doing here?" Shelby asked.

Shelby and Rachel moved away from the door and removed their jackets and gloves. Rachel took them to hang them up so she could stay out of the way of this.

"I wanted to meet my granddaughter," Evelyn said. "You were never going to introduce her to your father and I; you didn't even have the courtesy to call and tell us yourself. We had to hear about it on the news."

"We've already been through this," Shelby said alluding to their conversation earlier that weekend. "I was going to tell you, but everything has been happening so fast."

"That's a poor excuse, even from you, Shelby," Evelyn said.

Rachel slipped her shoes off and put them just inside the closet and then closed the door as quietly as possible so she would draw any attention to herself. She would really prefer it if this woman would leave. Rachel wasn't even really sure why her mother had let her in since it was clear Shelby didn't want her there. Rachel sighed and leaned against the wall. This night was finally just supposed to be the two of them.

Rachel looked down at her socked feet and wondered what she should do. She thought it might be best to escape to her room, but she wanted to be there for her mother.

"I didn't say anything because I knew you would react this way," Shelby said. "You are always so negative and you can't see the beauty and love of the situation. Nothing I have ever done has been able to please you so why should this be any different."

"Don't try and blame your bad choices on me," Evelyn snapped back. "How could you possibly think having a baby for money was ok?"

Rachel lifted her head and looked at Shelby to wait for an answer. Logically, she knew the basics behind the surrogacy. She knew Shelby had been paid, but Evelyn had just made it sound so dirty and awful.

"It was ok," Shelby said. "I helped two loving and wonderful men have the baby they so desperately wanted. I helped them create their family."

"You sold a baby for money!" Evelyn said. "You should hear what some of the people at church are saying about you."

"I don't care what they're saying," Shelby yelled. "I did not sell a baby for money. I never would have been pregnant if not for them. They had a baby, not me."

Rachel's eyes went a little wider and tears formed in them. What did that mean?

"How very convenient then," Evelyn sneered at her. "You traded a baby so you could make it here after your father and I refused to give you one more nickel towards a pipe dream."

"A pipe dream?" Shelby laughed bitterly. "Look around you, Mother. I live in a multi-million dollar apartment because of that dream. I hate to break it to you because I know you never wanted me to succeed, but I made it on Broadway and I made it in movies and I've travelled the country and the world giving concerts. I've sang for the president and his family. I have done all of that and more without an ounce of help from you or dad. It would have been an improvement if you had actually given me a nickel. The only reason I was ever able to make it back here and have all of that happen is because I had Rachel."

The two women turned and looked at Rachel who, for once, found herself uncomfortable to be the center of attention. She blinked back the tears that had formed and stood up a little straighter. Despite having on jeans and a long sleeve sweater, Rachel felt a chill. She felt like she had stepped right into the middle of what was an older argument.

"Come over here," Evelyn said to Rachel. "I want to get a real look at you."

Rachel didn't move and looked to Shelby who sighed and turned back to her mother. But the older woman didn't give her a chance to say anything.

"I said, come over here," Evelyn said. "You'd think the lighting would be better in a multi-million dollar apartment."

Shelby bit her tongue and didn't respond to the dig. It didn't matter if it was the lighting in her home or the way she'd done her homework as a kid; nothing was ever right for her mother.

Rachel pushed herself away from the wall and walked towards them and came to a stop near her mother. She didn't like this woman and she was regaining some of her confidence since being caught off guard in the hallway. Why did this woman think she could just barge into homes and lives unannounced?

Evelyn watched how Rachel moved and sulked and held her ground with angry, sad eyes. She looked so much like Shelby had at that age. There was no denying the girl was her daughter's child. Her daughter who was supposed to have married a nice boy and bought a house down the street to give her grandchildren, and instead ran as far away as she could get the very moment she was able. Shelby had contradicted them at every moment growing up. She didn't like church, she didn't want to get married right away, yes she was going to college, no she didn't want to work in an office or be a stay-at-home mom, yes she was going to make it, she'd shouted at them before leaving for college. Evelyn remembered laughing to cover up her hurt that the child she'd never been able to really know was actually leaving. She'd always been envious when she'd seen Shelby connecting with her friends' mothers in a way they never had. Why should Shelby give those women big hugs, but barely be able to speak to her. Hadn't they raised her right? Evelyn would never admit that she was harsh or too demanding. It wasn't her fault her daughter was a dreamer who never seemed to mesh with reality. Shelby had rejected every plan they had laid out for her. She and her husband had decided early on they were not going to support some wild fantasy about going to New York to be on Broadway. Oh, they knew she was talented, but they lived in the real world and not Shelby's imagination. It made them resent the fact that she'd actually done it all the more. They'd grown to actually like it after a while because of the all of the praise their friends and colleagues heaped on their daughter. Certainly they were proud…in their way. But the revelation of there being a girl named Rachel had brought all of those bad and resentful feelings to the surface. How dare Shelby do to that them. How dare she have a baby and then give it to two gay men. They had taught her better than that and all these years later she was still defying their every word and going against their every belief. As far as Evelyn was concerned, she had every right to be angry and she had every right to be here right now.

"You look like your mother," Evelyn said after a few moments.

"Yeah," Rachel agreed.

"I suppose you were quite happy to find out you've got a mother," Evelyn said. It was a leading question, but Rachel didn't get it.

"I was," Rachel said. "I've always wondered about her and it's been great to get to know her." She wasn't sure why this woman she didn't even know made her feel like she had to say the right thing or else.

"Of course you always wondered about her," Evelyn said. "No child should be put in a home with two gays and denied one of their parents. It is unnatural and just by the way you're acting, I can see you've been harmed by it."

Shelby could literally see Rachel stiffen beside her and the girl clenched her fists in anger. She stepped forward and opened her mouth to speak, but Rachel beat her to it.

"Don't you talk about my fathers like that! They are the best parents anyone could ever ask for," Rachel was yelling at her. "They are certainly a lot better parents than you and your husband are."

"I will not stand here and have you talk that way to me, young lady!" Evelyn yelled back. "I am your grandmother and I demand some respect."

"You don't deserve any respect!" Rachel shouted back. Her worry over rocking the boat or stepping out of line in front of this woman was gone. "Did you ever ask yourself why your daughter didn't tell you about me? Probably because she knew you'd come here and be a bitch!"

"Rachel!" Shelby scolded.

Evelyn gasped and stepped forward but Rachel held her ground even as the woman towered over her.

"You go to your room," Evelyn ordered coldly. "I don't even want you in my sight right now."

"Too bad," Rachel sassed. "Because this is my house and I'll stay where I want and if you don't like it, you can leave."

"Rachel, stop it," Shelby said. She stepped between the two of them and made Rachel move back.

"Is this how you let your child act, Shelby?" Evelyn asked. "Is this how she was raised to behave with those people? It really shouldn't be that surprising; you never did believe in rules and instructions. It's only natural you'd let your daughter be rude and disrespectful and not do anything about it."

"I am not going to do nothing about it," Shelby said. Rachel's jaw dropped behind her. "But Rachel is my daughter and you're in my house and you don't get to dictate anything to her. She's mine, not yours."

"No, she belongs to a couple of queers who should never be permitted around children because you latched onto the easiest way you could get to New York," Evelyn sneered. "Whores work in much the same way."

Anger boiled in Shelby, but she was used to such comments and though they still hurt, she had learned to deal with them over the years. She needed just a couple minutes and she'd have her mother out of her house. What she hadn't counted on was Rachel's reaction.

"Shut up!" Rachel flew past Shelby and pushed Evelyn away. The woman only took two steps back because Rachel's tiny stature wasn't much compared to the tall Evelyn. "You are mean and nasty and really stupid. I've only known Shelby a month and she's a better mother than you'll ever be. She is not a whore. My fathers love her and they love me. They are better than you in every way possible. Why did you even come here?"

Rachel tried to push Evelyn again, but the woman caught her arm and held her back. Shelby quickly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her away.

"You will not speak to me that way," Evelyn bellowed. "Your fathers-"

"Stop talking about my fathers!" Rachel shouted. She struggled against Shelby's grasp, but the woman held her firmly.

"Rachel, stop it," Shelby ordered quietly.

"I knew you would have no idea how to be a mother," Evelyn said.

Rachel tried to lunge forward again, but Shelby was stronger and she turned the two of them away from her mother and moved towards the hallway a few steps.

"Rachel, go to your room please," Shelby said. "I-

"What?" Rachel asked incredulously. "You agree with her?"

"No, but-"

"This isn't fair!" Rachel yelled as angry tears started to fall.

Shelby just needed Rachel out of the room for two minutes so she could get her mother out of the house. They were feeding off of each other now and it had to stop before she could get anything done.

"Rachel, please," Shelby said again. She wanted to hold her girl and stop her tears, but she had to get Evelyn out of the house first.

"No," Rachel shouted and she broke free from her mother's grasp and stood away from her.

Rachel couldn't believe this was happening again. This was supposed to be their weekend and her mother had brought Brian in and let him hang around. And now she was siding with her horrible mother over Rachel and the girl stomped her foot and tears traced their way down her cheeks. Why was she getting in trouble for standing up for her parents? Why had her mother said only her dads had a baby and not her?

"Rachel!" Shelby raised her voice to try and get her daughter's attention. "Stop now."

"No! Why are you letting her ruin everything?" Rachel demanded to know.

"I'm not, I just-"

"Yes you are!" Rachel interrupted her. "You just want me out of the way again. Fine, I'll get out of the way, but I'm not going to my room, I'm leaving!"

Before Shelby could stop her, Rachel's quick strides had taken her out the door and she had slammed it behind her. It was a classic Rachel Berry storm out.

"Rachel!" Shelby jumped into action and followed after her.

Shelby opened the front door in time to see the elevator doors closing with Rachel on it. She ran back inside and straight for her phone. Shelby quickly called down to the doorman on duty.

"Eric, hi. It's Shelby. My daughter is on her way down there right now. Please don't let her leave the building," Shelby said. "One of those nights, yes. I'll be down in a minute or two to get her. Thanks."

Shelby hung up the phone and turned and gave her mother a dangerous glare.

"Shelby, you have no idea how to control that child," Evelyn said. "It's clear as day that she needs some stability in her life. Two men cannot give that to a child and neither can you with your way of life."

"Shut up!" Shelby yelled. Her fists were clenched in much the same way Rachel's were earlier. "How dare you come in here and speak to me like that. I am an adult and this is my home and that is my daughter you just upset to the point of her walking out. You are the one with no manners and no civility and no right to say anything about her or her parents or how she was raised. Trust me, Mom, your Mother of the Year Award is never going to arrive."

Evelyn stood up straighter and pursed her lips tightly at Shelby's words.

"You have always hated me because I was never what you wanted," Shelby went on.

Evelyn's eyes softened just a bit; she had never hated her daughter.

"Well I'm sorry that I wasn't the daughter you planned for or wanted and that you got stuck with me," Shelby continued. "But I am done even trying to play nice with you. I never want to see you show up here unannounced ever again. In fact, I don't want to see you until you have apologized to Rachel for everything you said about her and her parents. Her fathers are wonderful men. I don't care what you say to me because I know you're never going to change your mind about me, but you will never talk that way about my daughter or her family again. Your words used to hold a lot of power over me, but not anymore. Rachel is right. You are not nice and you can be so horrible to those around you because everything you see and say is filtered to be negative. I've given up on you trying to see the good in anything. What's worse is that you don't even realize that you've missed out on the chance to know the only granddaughter you'll probably ever have because you decided to attack her instead of love her. Not that I would ever have expected anything different from you."

"You will not-"

"Yes I will," Shelby cut off her defense before it could even get going. "I'm sorry you wasted all that money flying out here because you aren't staying. I want you to get your bag and get out of my house. I will put you up in a hotel tonight and pay for your flight home tomorrow morning. You are no longer welcome here again until Rachel hears an apology. Don't worry, I won't be holding my breath waiting for it. I want you gone before I get back with Rachel. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and get my daughter and tell her how much I love her. I almost wish, for your sake, that you knew how to do that. It feels amazing."

Shelby left Evelyn standing there speechless as she hurried out the door and down to the lobby to get Rachel.

Rachel ignored Eric, the doorman, when she reached the lobby and he told her she needed to stop and wait for her mother. She didn't even stop as she walked right by him and out in the night. The freezing air slammed into her and Rachel immediately started to shiver and she crossed her arms over her chest. Her socks were already starting to get wet from the snow and ice that littered the ground. She hadn't really thought this storm out all the way through because if she had, she would have grabbed her jacket and shoes. But she was angry and she knew she had every right to be. She shouldn't be punished for telling that awful woman how she felt. Screw that lady. She really couldn't believe her mother had tried to send her away though. How could she do that? Her mother was supposed to stand up her for not send her away. She knew her fathers would never have let that lady get that far. This weekend was supposed to be perfect and it had been anything but. She wished she could call her dads and talk to them, but she didn't even have her phone with her. This storm out was not going well. Figures.

Rachel walked away from the doors a little bit to try and warm herself up. She knew she wasn't really going to go anywhere, but she was too stubborn to turn around and go back inside and up to the apartment. She needed a few minutes, even if her ears and feet were literally starting to hurt it was so cold outside.

Shelby walked into the lobby and stopped when she didn't see Rachel. Eric was giving her a sheepish look and his eyes widened when Shelby stalked his way and demanded to know where her daughter was.

"She left," Eric said quickly. "I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen."

"She left?" Shelby questioned. "You mean she went out in the cold?! Are you crazy?"

Shelby's mind raced as she headed for the door. She knew that Rachel didn't have a coat or a hat with her. She didn't have one either, but that didn't matter right now. A freezing gust of wind welcomed her when she stepped outside and Shelby pulled her arms in tight around her. She was going to kill that kid for coming out in this with no hate and jacket. Or shoes!

"Rachel!" Shelby exclaimed when she saw her daughter standing a few dozen feet from the door shifting from foot to foot to stay warm. Her socks were soaked now.

"Mom," Rachel was shivering and she took a few steps towards Shelby who was hurrying her way.

"What were you thinking coming out here?" Shelby asked as she wrapped Rachel in a quick hug and rubbed her back.

"You don't have a jacket on either," Rachel pointed out.

"That is beside the point," Shelby said. "Let's get you inside."

Shelby walked Rachel as fast as they could back to the main doors and into the lobby of the grand apartment building. The warm air was welcome and Shelby shot Eric another glare as they headed towards the elevators. Just as Shelby was about to push the button, the door opened and Evelyn walked out pulling a suitcase behind her. Rachel didn't say anything and just stepped off to the side. Evelyn didn't acknowledge her as she walked past.

"Wait right here," Shelby said to Rachel. "I mean it. Don't move."

Shelby led Evelyn over to Eric and instructed him to call her a cab and gave the name of the hotel she would call as soon as she got back upstairs.

"Goodbye, Mother," Shelby said.

"Goodbye," Evelyn said and she stood up straight and clasped her hands in front of her without looking at Shelby.

Shelby walked away and got into the elevator with Rachel who reached over and pushed the correct button. She was still shivering pretty badly and Shelby took Rachel's cold hands in her own and started to rub them.

"She's leaving?" Rachel asked once the elevator started to move.

"Yes," Shelby answered.

There were a few seconds of silence until the elevator reached the correct floor. Rachel stepped off first and her socks squished beneath her feet.

"We are going to get you warmed up and then you and I are going to have a long talk," Shelby said.

Rachel guessed that this talk wasn't the same as the one they were planning before they knew Evelyn Corcoran was in town. She sighed and nodded and followed her mother into the apartment.

**A/N – Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. It would really make my day. Thanks! **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N – Thank you all so much for all of your lovely reviews and for continuing to read. Your support and feedback means so much to me. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Like she had done less than an hour ago, Rachel waited near Shelby as the woman closed and locked the door of her expansive apartment. Rachel wished the whole hour could be erased and she could go back to when they were walking through Times Square. Shelby had promised her the whole evening to talk as long as they wanted, but those plans had been waylaid and now here they were. Unlike with her earlier storm out, Rachel felt deflated. Logically, she didn't blame her mother, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about her blow up either. Ok, so maybe she shouldn't have walked outside with no jacket and no shoes, but it had felt right at the time. Truth be told, she would have stayed in the lobby of the grand building had Eric, the doorman, not tried to stop her. She was storming out and she wasn't going to stop until she was ready because that's how a storm out worked. Her dads usually did not appreciate that. Rachel walked a fine line with her storm outs where her dads were concerned. She knew this one would have crossed that line for them.

So she wasn't particularly surprised when she looked up and saw the disappointment and anger in her mother's eyes. She hated that the talk Shelby wanted to have with her was probably a scolding and not a real talk. This was the same look Shelby had worn the day before when she'd punished her for not being back to the theater in time. Rachel sighed as she continued to shiver. This was not how this visit was supposed to go. She was supposed to have her mom completely to herself and she most certainly wasn't supposed to be getting in trouble. She hated to be thought of as childish… Although, the more she got to know Shelby, the more she appreciated that she could be herself in front of her. It felt good to drop the pretense and just be herself. Her mother knew she wasn't well liked at school and her mother knew she misbehaved and now her mother knew she would storm out of a situation she didn't like. It was kind of freeing actually. Try as she might, Rachel hadn't been sure how long she could keep trying to be exactly what she thought Shelby wanted. It was exhausting.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said.

She wrapped her arms around her mother and Shelby immediately responded. She held Rachel tightly, only loosening up for a second so she could bring her hand back and land one mighty swat on Rachel's bottom. Shelby surprised herself with the action, but she didn't question it. Rachel felt it, but her only response was to hold on tighter. This wasn't the first time Rachel had been swatted while being hugged. She was famous for wandering into trouble and her dads were always there to pull her back and now so was her mother. Shelby didn't know it yet, and Rachel didn't even really get it, but the girl appreciated the familiarity and comfort of that action, even if it stung. She had stepped out of line and her parent was there to take back over and make everything right.

"Don't you ever do that again, do you understand me?" Shelby demanded. "You cannot just walk out and disappear, even if it's just to stand in front of the building. I was so afraid when I reached the lobby and found out you weren't there. It is midnight and it is freezing and my kid was out there alone with no protection from the weather."

"I'm sorry," Rachel said again, this time sniffling.

"Do you understand what I just said?" Shelby asked.

"Yes ma'am," Rachel responded.

Shelby nodded and held the shivering girl tighter. Normally she hated being called ma'am, but for some reason, it felt right in this moment.

"Ok," Shelby nodded. Now that that was out of the way, she needed to get her girl warm. "Go sit on the couch and I'll be right there. Get the blanket that's there and wrap up."

Rachel stepped away to do as she was told and Shelby went to the back and into her room. She pulled a pair of extra warm socks and a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and hooded sweatshirt. She would have gotten stuff from Rachel's room, but the girl still had everything in her suitcase and Shelby didn't want to take the time to go through it.

On her way back to the living room where Rachel was, Shelby stopped by a linen closet and pulled out three heavy blankets. Rachel was sitting on the couch and had only covered her lap with the blanket that was there and she was still shivering. If Shelby's hands were free, she probably would have crossed them at the way Rachel was sitting.

From behind the couch, Shelby dropped all the clothes onto it and unwrapped one of her blankets and wrapped it around Rachel's shoulders. Rachel held it tight to her and stayed silent as Shelby came around and sat down. She picked up Rachel's feet off the floor and set them in her lap before peeling off the wet socks and putting them back on the floor. Shelby grabbed the end of one of the blankets and dried them off and then started rubbing the cold, red feet.

"Why would you go out there with no shoes on?" Shelby asked.

"I wasn't really thinking about that until I got out there," Rachel admitted. "And then I couldn't come back in."

"Why couldn't you come back in?" Shelby asked.

"It doesn't work like that," Rachel mumbled.

"You're stubborn," Shelby said.

"No I'm not," Rachel countered.

"You'd rather stand out in the cold because you're mad than come inside and deal with it," Shelby told her. "Stubborn."

Rachel crossed her arms and pouted, but loved the feeling of her mom rubbing her feet to warm them up. "If I come back in it just proves that everyone else was right."

"Or it proves that you're smart enough to take the high road," Shelby said.

"It's not that easy," Rachel said. She hated this lecture because she got it from her dads all the time. Sometimes the only point she was ever able to get across in a fight was the one she made when she left. Most of the time, people didn't listen to her. Of course she never saw the reality that, to other people, it made her look childish.

"Is that how you always react when faced with a situation you don't like or one in which you're not getting your way?" Shelby asked.

"No," Rachel grumbled and her pout deepened. Did they really have to do this?

"That's not the way the real world works, honey," Shelby said kindly.

"I know," Rachel whined with a scowl.

Shelby sighed and realized this was going nowhere. She'd made her thoughts about storming out clear to Rachel and hopefully the girl would heed them. Instead of going any farther with it, Shelby picked up her warm, long socks and placed them on Rachel's feet. She looked over at the girl whose scowl was lessening and was watching her with a soft smile and not the pout she just displayed. Rachel wiggled her feet some when her mom was finished and she relaxed further into the couch. The shivering had slowed some and she hoped her mother was done criticizing her storm outs.

"Alright," Shelby said. "I'm going to make us some hot chocolate and I'll be right back. There are other things I want to talk to you about. In the meantime, I want you to change into these clothes. They're warmer."

"I'm fine," Rachel said.

"Rachel," Shelby warned. There was that tone again. That mom tone she didn't know she'd even possessed until this weekend.

Rachel rolled her eyes and sat up straighter when Shelby moved her legs from her lap. She picked up the clothes from the pile and held the t-shirt up.

"These aren't mine," Rachel said.

"I know; they're mine," Shelby told her.

Oh well that changed everything; Rachel was excited to get to wear her mom's stuff, even if it was just sweats. Shelby stood up and then placed her hands over Rachel's red ears to help gather some heat right there.

"Hurry up because you're like an ice cube," Shelby said on her way out of the living room.

Rachel rolled her eyes and determined her mother to be a bit crazy. But she stood up to get changed all the same. Rachel decided right away that she would be keeping her mother's t-shirt. It was way too big for her, but it was from a Broadway Cares benefit the woman had sang in years before. It soft and warm and perfect and would be going home with her. The sweatpants were too long and Rachel pulled the drawstring tight. She thought about rolling up the pants legs, but decided against it. She was just going to curl back up on the couch. The sweatshirt was a purple hoodie with the NYU logo on it and Rachel was going to try and smuggle it out as well. It hung loosely on her and she loved it.

When Shelby returned about five minutes later, she found Rachel sitting cross-legged on the couch and playing with her phone. It was clear she had changed, not just from looking at her, but from all of the other clothes that were now scattered around her living room. Somehow she had assumed that Rachel would go back to her room and change there.

"Rachel, you need to get under the blankets," Shelby said as she set the two mugs of piping hot hot chocolate on the coffee table.

"I'm fine now," Rachel said with a shrug.

Shelby was not going to take this answer because she knew how cold the girl was. She grabbed one blanket and put it over Rachel's lap and legs and tucked it tightly around her. She grabbed another one and made Rachel lean forward she could put it behind her and wrap it around her shoulders. Shelby then put her hands back over Rachel's ears to make sure they stayed warm.

"Mom," Rachel complained when her game ended because she'd been bothered so much.

"Put that away," Shelby said. "Our talk isn't over yet."

She leaned down and kissed Rachel's forehead and then took the phone from her hands. When Rachel leaned back, Shelby picked up the third blanket and placed it over Rachel's chest. Yep, she was crazy and Rachel knew it. She was going to suffocate under all of this.

Shelby looked over at her fireplace and thought maybe she should start a fire. It was a gas fireplace so it would be up and roaring as soon as she turned it on. Yeah, that was a good idea. Rachel watched as Shelby went to the fireplace and turned it on and the fire came to life. She wasn't even that cold anymore.

Shelby finally sat back down next to Rachel and picked up their mugs of hot chocolate and held one out for the girl to take.

"Am I allowed to take my arm out and hold it?" Rachel asked sarcastically.

Shelby just gave her a withering stare and so Rachel didn't say another word as she accepted the mug and tried to take a small sip. It was too hot though so she blew on it some and decided to wait a while.

"Rachel, let's talk about my mother," Shelby said.

"Oh boy," Rachel's sarcasm didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

"What made you so angry that you felt you needed to walk out?" Shelby asked, ignoring her daughter's remark. If she wasn't trying to have a serious conversation with her, she'd agree.

"You heard all the things she said about my dads," Rachel said. "I won't let anyone talk that way about them."

"I know, sweetheart," Shelby said gently. "She should not have been talking that way." Shelby knew that she needed to get this right so she didn't make Rachel angry or push her to want to run out again. "You weren't just angry at her though. You were angry at me too."

Rachel sighed and looked away and stared at the new fire. Shelby didn't push her as she watched the girl work to gather her thoughts.

"You were sending me to my room like she was trying to do," Rachel finally said softly. "You should have been sticking up for me. We were supposed to have this night just to ourselves and she was here ruining it and you were making me leave. Just like with Brian; it was supposed to be just the two of us."

Rachel wouldn't look at her and instead concentrated on the marshmallows in her hot chocolate. Realization washed over Shelby and she finally understood her daughter's issues with Brian being there. He was taking away from it being just the two of them. Shelby felt like an idiot.

Shelby set her mug back down on the table and then took Rachel's and did the same. She moved the blanket covering Rachel's chest to the side so she could take the girl's hands in her own.

"Rachel, I was not trying to get rid of you or send you to your room because I was angry," Shelby said. "I know my mother and I know how she gets and she was never going to let up as long as you were in the room. I wanted to tell her to get out, but you shouldn't have to see that."

"I'm not a little kid," Rachel said with a sniffle.

"In this case, yes you are, sweetheart," Shelby said with sympathetic eyes. "My mom can be vicious with her words, as you heard. I didn't want you to hear anymore."

"But I didn't want to be kicked out either," Rachel said.

"I understand that," Shelby said. "But I thought it was for the best."

"You stayed and talked to her after I left," Rachel pointed out to her.

"Would you like to know what I told her?" Shelby asked

"It doesn't matter," Rachel mumbled and looked down at their hands. Shelby was using her thumb to rub the top of Rachel's hand and the girl put her focus on it.

"I told her that she is no longer welcome here or anywhere you or I am unless she apologizes to you first," Shelby said.

Rachel looked up with wide, expressive eyes. "Really? Is that why she left?"

"I told her she had to leave," Shelby said. "I got a hotel room for her tonight and paid for her flight home tomorrow morning."

"You did that for her?"

"I did that for you," Shelby corrected. "You probably won't ever hear from her again."

"Was it… Am I not good enough to be her granddaughter?" Rachel asked as her eyes refocused on their hands.

"No, that's not it at all," Shelby said.

Rachel only nodded and wouldn't look up.

"Look at me. Rachel," she added in that warning tone when the girl didn't do as she was told. Shelby only continued on when she had Rachel's full attention. "Honey, you are wonderful and you have four grandparents are proud to call you theirs. My mother just operates differently. We have never gotten along and I'm afraid she never takes the time to look at the positive. For as long as I can remember, it seems like everything she did or said was filtered through this negative lens that made everything worse or bad. Like me. And like my dream to come here. And your birth. And now you. It's her issue, not yours. And if she never changes and if she never gets to know you, it's her loss and not yours. I don't want you around someone so negative and hateful. There are reasons I was taking so long in contacting my parents."

"But you know how to be a good mother," Rachel said. "How come she doesn't?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," Shelby said. She was being quiet and serious, but her heart was soaring at Rachel's words. Her daughter thought she was a good mother. Shelby vowed that she would never do anything to mess up Rachel's opinion on that.

"I'm glad you were able to move away and make it in New York," Rachel said.

"Me too," Shelby said and tears pooled in her eyes.

What she had said to her mother earlier wasn't a lie. Rachel's existence is what allowed her to have the money to come back here and be successful. She may have made it later on, but not with the same fervor and grit. Everything she did in New York City from the day she arrived when her daughter was ten days old was to make that baby proud. She had given up the greatest thing she would ever create and she knew she was going to work her ass off to in order to give that kid everything she could in eighteen years. Shelby was thankful every day that it hadn't taken eighteen years.

Rachel freed her hands from her mother's grasp and reached down for her hot chocolate which was now at a more acceptable temperature. Shelby followed suit and watched Rachel intently for a few moments while her daughter take a big gulp and sighed at how good it was. She even dribbled some on her chin and then used one of the blankets to wipe it off.

"Mom, can we sing?" Rachel asked. "Please."

Rachel started to move the blankets off of her, but Shelby stopped her. She took their mugs and set them back on the table and then quickly put all of the blankets back in place.

"Mom," Rachel whined.

"You need to warm up."

"I am warm," Rachel insisted. "I'm started to sweat I'm so warm."

"No," Shelby said.

"But why can't we sing?"

"We can and we will," Shelby said. "But I want to talk about one more thing."

Rachel sighed dramatically and leaned back on the couch. "What?"

"Brian."

Rachel lifted her head and looked at her mom, "Oh."

"Yeah," Shelby said. "Sit up, please."

Rachel did and reached for her cocoa again. Though at this point, a glass of ice water would be really nice too. She was really starting to get hot.

"You don't like Brian," Shelby started out.

"It's not that I don't like him," Rachel said and then took a sip and returned the mug to the table.

"It's that he took up our time together," Shelby finished for her.

"Yeah," Rachel mumbled and looked away. She felt like a little kid when it was spelled out for her by someone else.

"Why didn't you just say something?" Shelby asked.

"Why didn't you tell me I was going to be me meeting him?" Rachel countered. "He seems ok and all and it's clear you're in love with him, but I wasn't ready. He wasn't part of my plan."

"I should have talked with you about him coming over before I just sprang it on you," Shelby said. "But I really wanted you guys to meet."

"Why couldn't we have met later?" Rachel asked. "This was our first weekend where it was just us. Or at least it was supposed to be."

"I'm sorry, Rachel, that it didn't work out like you'd planned, but you could have told me how you were feeling," Shelby said. "You weren't exactly nice to him. Don't you think telling me how you were feeling would have been better than being rude to him?"

"I wasn't rude to him!" Rachel argued. "He was the one who shouldn't have been here."

"He was here because I invited him," Shelby said.

"Then it's your fault," Rachel sassed.

Shelby took a deep breath and wondered why the mood had changed so suddenly. But she was not going to engage in a yelling match right now. That had happened earlier with her mother and she wasn't going to do the same.

"Rachel, I know you weren't expecting him, and I get why," Shelby said. "And I promise we'll talk about him and I'll give you ample warning for when you're going to see him again, but you were rude to him. That is your own doing. We are not going to play a blame game about this; we're just going to learn from it for next time. But if he were to show up here unexpectedly without my knowledge, I would expect you to be polite to him."

"I was polite," Rachel insisted.

"Rachel, you made him wait in the hall."

"I didn't know what he looked like!" Rachel shot back.

"Ok, let's stop," Shelby said. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was close to one in the morning. "I think maybe you need to go to bed."

"What? No," Rachel said. "I'm not tired. I wasn't tired last night when you put me to bed early as punishment."

"What are you talking about?" Shelby asked. "I didn't put you to bed early as a punishment."

"Yes you did," Rachel said. "You told me I couldn't go anywhere by myself and then I wanted to watch a movie, but you made me go to bed."

"Rachel, it was almost midnight and we had to be up at five in the morning," Shelby said. Oh my god, they'd been up forever. "We needed to get some sleep."

"I was fine," Rachel said, but with a little less punch than before.

"Ok," Shelby just agreed with her to avoid the argument. "Rach, listen, I just want to say one more thing about Brian and then we'll drop it and talk about it another day. You're right; I am in love with him. I've loved him for a long time. But I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you." She leaned closer to Rachel and made sure the girl was looking at her. "You are the most important thing in my life. You always will be. I am not going to give him up because you stamp your foot and decide you don't like him, but I want us to be able to talk about him. We both have to speak and behave like grown-ups," she hit right at what she knew Rachel craved, "and we can work everything out. So in the future, I expect you to treat him with respect. He gave you that respect and you will do the same. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Rachel mumbled and looked away from Shelby.

"Good girl," Shelby said.

Their Brian issue hadn't been solved, but it would be naïve to think one conversation would make it better. The issue was so much more than getting to know mom's boyfriend because they weren't past the getting to know mom stage yet. And Shelby knew it would take time.

They were both quiet for a few minutes as they sipped their drinks and were lost in thought until Rachel started to squirm and kicked all of the blankets covering her aside and stood up.

"Rachel," Shelby chastised.

"Mom, I'm dying under all those blankets. It's like a thousand degrees in here," Rachel said.

"Are you sure you've warmed up enough?" Shelby asked.

"If I warmed up any more, I'd spontaneously combust," Rachel told her. "Can we sing now?"

"Sure," Shelby said.

And just like that, the fit and lectures were over, and everything was back to normal. Rachel disappeared to the bathroom and came back without the NYU sweatshirt on. It was now packed in her suitcase, hidden under some other clothes. She had shed the socks too.

Shelby pulled out a catalog of sheet music, but they just ended up singing songs they already knew. The best part was not the impromptu concert they were giving, the best part was the choosing of sections which created conversations that lasted for twenty or thirty minutes. Rachel told her more about school and her classes and how Kurt was doing. These were the kinds of talks Shelby craved because Rachel let herself be a kid while her mother soaked it all up. The subjects of Brian and, surprisingly enough, Broadway, never came up.

They spent two hours like that until Shelby could see that Rachel was literally struggling to stay awake.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's go to bed," Shelby said as Rachel's eyes drooped closed one more time.

"I'm not tired," Rachel whined. "I want to stay up with you because I have to go home tomorrow."

"Ok," Shelby said. "Let's relax on the couch. I think we've both had enough singing for one night."

"I could always listen to you sing," Rachel said.

Shelby smiled and kissed Rachel's head. "Ditto, kid."

Shelby suggested that Rachel go and use the bathroom and brush her teeth and Rachel didn't argue because she knew she'd be asleep soon, even if she tried to fight it. She was on to her mother and getting them settled on the couch was a fine trick. But it was one that would work.

Rachel returned to the living room and heard the gentle sounds of Barbra Streisand singing. Shelby had pulled out an old record and set it up. She'd always loved this one because it reminded her of lullabies. Instead of sitting next to Shelby, Rachel sat down in her lap and hugged her mother. Shelby squeezed her tightly in return as she realized that this was the first time her little girl had ever sat in her lap. Tears welled in her eyes so suddenly that she had trouble blinking them back. She did though and when the hug ended, Rachel slid down to her side and rested her head down on Shelby's shoulder. Shelby got a blanket and tucked it around Rachel so that her arms and feet would be covered. Rachel adjusted once again and Shelby found herself supporting the weight of the girl as she rested her head against her chest. The soft music of Barbra washed over them and the fireplace glowed warmly as Rachel drifted off to sleep.

Shelby looked down at the girl in her arms and could see the face of the little baby she'd held all those years before. She leaned down and kissed her forehead as she had done with the newborn and she hummed along to the music. In this moment, life could be considered close to perfect. New York City sat just outside her doorstep and her little girl was back in her arms.

The following afternoon came much too quickly for either of them and they were silent as they rode towards the airport. Rachel had started to cry at the apartment and Shelby was unable to stop her own tears once Rachel got going. They had laughed about it a few minutes later and swore that they wouldn't cry in front of everyone at the airport. Rachel wasn't even upset about being considered an unaccompanied minor this time since it meant that her mother got to go to the gate and wait with her.

It didn't take them long to get through security because Shelby was ushered to the front of the line. They went to the gate and Shelby bought them both a drink from Starbucks while they waited.

"I don't want to get any reports of you misbehaving," Shelby said.

Rachel rolled her eyes, "You won't. I don't actually get in that much trouble."

"Noted," Shelby said with a smirk.

"Are you coming to Regionals?" Rachel asked.

"I wouldn't miss it," Shelby told her. "But that's not for a few months. We'll see each other before then."

"Can I bring Kurt to New York with me one time?" Rachel asked.

"Sure," Shelby answered easily. "I'd love that."

"So would he," Rachel assured her.

Boarding for Rachel's flight was called and they both stood and Shelby pulled her into a fierce hug.

"I love you, Rachel," Shelby said. "Call or text me the moment you get there."

"You'll be on stage by the time I get home," Rachel reminded her. Her face was buried in the crook of Shelby's neck.

"It doesn't matter," Shelby said. "Call and leave me a message and let me hear your voice."

"I will," Rachel told her. "I love you, Mom. Thank you for this weekend."

"This is your home now too," Shelby said. "You don't have to thank me for having you because you are always just coming home."

That did it for Rachel and her tears started. Shelby rubbed her back and kissed her head and stood and waited until Rachel was on the plane and out of her sight. She then waited until the plane had taxied and she watched it take off. She already missed her daughter more than she ever thought possible.

**A/N – That's it for this chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. We're getting Rachel back to Lima in the next chapter. Who knows what that kid will have up her sleeves next. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N – I'm so sorry about the delay in getting this chapter up. I've just been really busy at work and home. Sometimes I just never grab the chance to get the writing done like I want. But I do apologize about keeping you all waiting. I hope you enjoy this one. **

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews and for reading this little story of mine. I appreciate your feedback and your support so much. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

The gate in the terminal at the airport was crowded for a Sunday evening and LeRoy looked around at all of the travelers and briefly wondered about their stories and where they were headed. He was waiting for his daughter's flight to land from New York. It had been an interesting few days without Rachel around; not that he and Hiram hadn't ever spent time away from her, but it was a whole new level of worry, and contentment, to know she was with someone else she considered a parent. In the past if they had to go out of town for whatever reason, Rachel went to one of her grandparents' houses or they came and stayed with her. Even then, that was pretty rare. They rarely ever had to go out of town together and so Rachel was always home with one parent. The only exception was the vacation they gave themselves in the early spring. They'd started it when Rachel was nine and they took a cruise just the two of them. Their relationship was strong anyway, but Hiram and LeRoy consciously decided to take that time for themselves away from their child. They weren't selfish or horrible; they were human. And for six days out of the every year, they stepped back and took the time for themselves. Rachel loved the adventure of it all as well. She got a couple of grandparents to wrap her finger around for that time and she loved it. Though now that LeRoy was thinking about it, he supposed she'd be staying with Shelby, or that Shelby would come and stay with her. He added that to the list of things they needed to talk about.

They had taken Rachel on a cruise once when she was six and they had been so worried about her falling overboard the whole time that they couldn't enjoy themselves. They'd take her back on one again if she wanted in a year or two. Although that brought about a whole new level or worry for them. Rachel would inevitably latch herself onto a single boy or two and neither parent was ready for that. He pushed that thought as far away from his mind as he could.

LeRoy checked the arrivals board once more and saw that Rachel's plane had just landed. He was anxious to see her and hold her tightly. Hiram stayed home to fix dinner and nurse a cold that he'd been trying in vain to keep away.

As promised, Shelby had been keeping them up to date with how Rachel was doing. She had called them before Rachel woke up this morning and explained about her mother's visit and Rachel's storm out. Shelby had apologized to the men for the swat she gave Rachel and they assured her that it was not the first time Rachel had ever been popped and that it still happened. The girl even still found herself the recipient of an occasional spanking and Shelby had laughed nervously and said she'd never have to do that to Rachel. The men had just placated her when they told her no, of course not. They hoped not too, but they knew Rachel better than she did. They also knew that as the pair grew closer as mother and daughter, it was inevitable that Rachel would start to test Shelby and the woman needed to be ready to handle that. Rachel would want to figure out just how much she could get away with when it came to her mother; it was a natural phenomenon in for all parents and children. It sounded like Shelby was working on getting there. He also realized that they really needed to buckle down and talk to Shelby parent to parent and iron out details like that. They didn't want her second guessing herself every time she dared to pull Rachel back in when the girl had stepped out of line. They had just been flying by the seat of their pants as this new relationship was forged, but it was time for the adults to get together to discuss the facts of Rachel their child.

Rachel was again the last one off the plane and she ran to LeRoy who bent down far enough so she could wrap her arms around his neck and then he lifted her up and hugged her close.

"Hi, Daddy!" Rachel greeted. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart," LeRoy said before kissing her head. "Dad is home making us a great dinner. We can't wait to hear all about your trip."

He set her on her feet and, after signing the proper papers, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led the way towards the baggage claim.

"I had a really good time," Rachel enthused. "Mom gave me a key to her apartment and said that I should always think of her place as home now. I've got my own home and my own room in New York City," Rachel said wistfully. "Thank you, Daddy!" She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly as she started to cry.

"Hey now," LeRoy said as he stopped and pulled her to the side so they wouldn't be blocking the walkway. "What's going on?"

"I love Mom so much, but I missed you and Dad so much too," Rachel said. "I didn't want to leave, but I'm happy to be home. I'm just so glad I get to have her in my life."

"Rachel, there's no need to cry," LeRoy said gently. "We missed you too, but we know how much building this relationship means to you. We want you to embrace it and really get to know your mother. You don't have to feel guilty about missing her or missing us or trying to figure out where you'd rather be at any given moment. Your mother and father and I all know this is hard on you and that it's going to take some time to adjust. And you have to accept that you won't always get your way and schedules have to be maintained."

"I know," Rachel said. "I just want to be with all of you at the same time. In New York and here in Ohio. I want to go and visit Mom as much as possible, but I don't want to leave you and Dad out."

"You're not, sweetheart," LeRoy assured her. "We know how important this is to you."

"I'll never leave you, Daddy," Rachel said.

"Oh Rach," LeRoy pulled her close as she started to cry again. He had no idea where all of this was coming from. Yes, he was used to an emotional Rachel, but this seemed to go deeper than that.

"Thank you for always believing in me," Rachel said.

"What's going on?" LeRoy asked. "Why are you so upset?"

"Did you know Shelby's parents and dad never believed in her?" Rachel asked her father with wide, confused eyes. "Her mom said such terrible things to her."

LeRoy rubbed her back as she leaned into him. He and Hiram had heard about Shelby's mother and they had planned to talk with Rachel about it later that evening. But it seems as if Rachel had been thinking about it for a while now.

"I want Mom to know that I believe in her and that I love her so much," Rachel continued. "But I didn't want to seem silly when she was already upset because I stormed out."

Rachel caught herself after that confession and looked back up at her dad. He just gave her a stern glare to let her know that yes indeed he knew all about that. Rachel looked contrite and then leaned back into him.

"I know that you and Dad love me and always believe in me, but I never really understood how much that actually meant," Rachel said.

She had spent the whole flight thinking about how she had left her mother all alone in New York City and how the woman had made it on her own without her parents' help. Rachel honestly didn't know if she'd ever be able to do that. Her dads meant the world to her and she thrived off of their love and encouragement. She wanted to be able to in turn give that to her mom and she didn't want to mess it up so that's why she hadn't mentioned it. She needed to talk to the men who did that for her first. She was trying to tell her father thank you, but it was getting lost in her tears and rambles.

"Rachel, let's calm down, ok," LeRoy said. He was pretty sure he got what she was trying to say. "We can talk about it more at home after you've had a chance to relax. And the longer we stand here, the longer it'll take to get home and see your dad and he is dying to see you."

"Ok," Rachel agreed with a sniffle.

LeRoy smiled, but sent her into the restroom to blow her nose and clean her face. Their over the top, dramatic and emotional girl was back home and that would always be the greatest feeling in the world.

LeRoy thought Rachel might have fallen asleep on the drive home from the airport in Columbus, but she was too busy talking the whole time. She called Shelby to let her know she got home and she texted with Kurt the entire time all while trying to tell her dad about The View and what Katie Couric was like. She was getting her stories mixed up though and would start to try and explain to him what she well telling Kurt. He finally told her that maybe she should wait so she could tell him and Hiram together.

"Hi, Dad!" Rachel said excitedly as she burst through the front door and went to find Hiram.

"Hi, Rachel!" Hiram said with equal excitement and volume as he picked Rachel up in a hug like LeRoy had given her at the airport.

LeRoy smiled at Hiram as he carried Rachel's bags in and set them down. Hiram winked at his husband over Rachel's shoulder and squeezed the girl tighter. They never really got used to the quiet when Rachel wasn't around.

"Dinner is just about ready so go upstairs and get washed up," Hiram said as he set her on her feet. "We expect to hear every detail of your trip."

"I'll be right back," Rachel said as she hurried off.

"How was the drive?" Hiram asked LeRoy before giving him a quick kiss hello.

"Fine," LeRoy answered. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok. For now," Hiram said. "This cold medicine is some powerful stuff."

LeRoy laughed and then his demeanor changed as he looked up the stairs to make sure Rachel was out of earshot. "She started crying at the airport."

"Why? What happened?" Hiram asked. He led them back into the kitchen.

"She asked me if I knew that Shelby's parents never believed in her," LeRoy said. "And she wants Shelby to know that she believes in her. She told me how we have always believed in her. She wants to be able to give that back to Shelby since her parents never did."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her we'd talk more about it here," LeRoy said. "I wanted to get us out of the airport. She said how much she missed us even though she misses Shelby now and she wants to be in both places at once. I think she's worried we're going to feel left out or like she doesn't want us."

"She's confused," Hiram finished for him.

"Yeah. And I think she worries about when she'll see Shelby again, but doesn't want to say anything to us so we don't get upset," LeRoy said. "We need to set up a schedule of visits. I know we've been telling Rachel that we'll work it out as we go, but now is the time to get something in place."

"I'll text Shelby and see if we can talk to her after her show tonight," Hiram said.

"That'll work," LeRoy said.

"Hey, what's for dinner?" Rachel asked as she bounded back into the room.

"Your favorite, of course," Hiram said as he led her into the dining room.

Dinner that night had been joyous and loud as Rachel told them about her trip. She strategically left out mentions of Brian or the trouble she got herself into. She didn't want to cloud the conversation with how she felt about the Brian thing. They talked for a while about Evelyn and her relationship with Shelby and Rachel felt better when it was over, but part of her still didn't grasp how parents could be so indifferent to their kid. She'd only known Shelby about a month, but she knew that she mattered to the woman. How awful it must feel to think your parents don't care very much.

Rachel spoke with Shelby briefly before finally going to bed at her fathers' insistence. It was later than she normally went to bed and she'd seemed simultaneously wired and exhausted. Her fathers didn't know how she did it. LeRoy had caught her forty-five minutes later laying in bed and playing a game on her phone. The phone was now on his bedside table charging.

Hiram was lying on their bed with a hand to his pounding head while LeRoy started to empty out Rachel's suitcase to sort the clothes for the laundry. Rachel had grabbed her iPod and toiletries and left all of the clothes promising that she would get to them the next day. LeRoy decided to save everyone the time and do it himself.

Hiram's phone was on the bed and on because they had been talking with Shelby for close to half an hour about arranging a set visitation schedule and Rachel's words about Evelyn. Shelby was in tears at the revelation that Rachel wants her mother to know she believes in her. The woman promised to speak with Rachel the following day about Evelyn. Rachel had seemed to understand that night, but Shelby was starting to realize just how much Rachel internalized despite her outgoing, talkative nature.

LeRoy pulled a t-shirt he had never seen before from the suitcase and held it up to show Hiram who just shrugged. Next came a purple NYU hoodie and both men started to smile.

"Shelby, are you missing a couple things?" LeRoy asked into the phone.

"What? What kinds of things?" Shelby asked. She briefly glanced up at her Tony and verified it was still in its proper spot.

"It seems our daughter came home with an NYU hoodie of yours and another t-shirt," LeRoy explained.

Shelby chuckled and shook her head. She wondered why she couldn't find them when she picked up the sweatpants and socks Rachel had left in the bathroom.

"Don't worry about them," Shelby said. "She's more than welcome to have them."

"Did she even ask?" Hiram said.

"No, but it's ok. I've got other hoodies and can get more," Shelby said. "I actually love that she wanted to keep them."

"Well, not to be outdone, she went through a phase when she was about 4 where all she wanted to wear was one of our dress shirts and a tie," LeRoy said. "We have some of the cutest pictures of her."

"Aw, that's awesome," Shelby said. "You'll have to send me some of those pictures."

"We definitely will," LeRoy said.

LeRoy looked up and noticed that Hiram's eyes were starting to flutter closed and he needed to get him to bed. Trying to ward off the cold didn't seem to be working. The adults all said their goodnights and LeRoy finished emptying the suitcase into a laundry basket and then brought Hiram some more medicine to help him sleep. It was close to one in the morning by the time they got settled in bed. Five was going to come awfully early.

Shelby's mind was full after she said goodnight and hung up the phone. Rachel needed and deserved consistency in the situation and Shelby knew that she was going to have to structure her visits better. The need to get them on a regular schedule was important too and Shelby promised she would call the fathers back the next night with her calendar at the ready so they could start formulating a visitation schedule.

She also knew that the time had come to make a firm decision about the show. She had been leaning towards leaving the show at the end of the summer, but now she knew she wanted to leave sooner than that. The end of May would be perfect and it would correspond with Rachel getting out of school. By that point she would have been in the show for over a year on Broadway and longer than that if you counted workshops and out of town tryouts. She loved it, but Shelby knew the nature of Broadway and there would always come a time when she would leave the show. Now, though, it was even more important to lock in a date so plans could start to be made and a replacement could be named. She would have that conversation with the producers and director tomorrow. Leaving the show three months earlier than she anticipated wasn't that big of a deal and she was too excited at the prospect of having Rachel for longer than a weekend at a time to think about anything else. She wanted to spend so much time with her daughter and she'd love to plan a vacation for the two of them. She loved the show and she loved the role she played, but it didn't come close to the love she had for Rachel.

Rachel groaned the next morning when her alarm went off. She slammed her hand down on the clock to shut off the awful noise and rolled back over and went back to sleep. There was no way she should be awake this early. She could do her elliptical routine later or something.

LeRoy stretched and looked over at Hiram who looked like the last thing he wanted to do was get out of bed.

"Why don't you stay home today?" LeRoy asked.

"No," Hiram sighed. "I'm actually not feeling too bad; I'm just tired."

"You should get some more rest anyways," LeRoy said. "Well you don't want to overdo it and end up feeling sick again."

"I'm fine," Hiram said. He was almost reluctant to admit it because he would love a day to stay in bed and rest.

The men got up and got ready for the day and as Hiram was making the bed, he stopped and looked over at LeRoy.

"I don't hear Rachel."

"Maybe she decided not to do the elliptical this morning," LeRoy shrugged. "I'll go check on her."

LeRoy knocked and when he didn't get a response, opened the door enough so he could peek in.

"Rachel," he sighed as he walked into the room. "Wake up."

Rachel didn't even stir.

"Come on, Rach, it's time to get ready for school," LeRoy said. He patted her leg through the blankets.

Rachel blearily opened her eyes and looked at him. "Ok."

"Good girl," LeRoy said. "Get up and start getting ready. You're going to be running late soon."

Rachel nodded and started to move around so LeRoy left and shut the door behind him. He needed to hop in the shower himself. Rachel shut her eyes again and thought about how she needed to get up even as she was drifting back to sleep.

It was another thirty-five minutes before one of her fathers went to check on her again.

"Rachel, what are you doing?" Hiram said as he stepped into the room. She hadn't answered the knock. "You're going to be late. Get up now."

"No," Rachel whined and rolled over. She was too tired for this. Mondays sucked.

"Rachel, right now," Hiram said.

LeRoy could hear them talking from his bedroom where he was finishing up with his tie. They were all going to bed earlier tonight. His attention was drawn to his bedside table when Rachel's phone started to ring. When he picked it up he saw that it was Shelby and he answered it.

"Good morning," LeRoy greeted.

"Morning," Shelby said with surprise in her voice. "I thought I called Rachel's phone."

"You did, but it was in my room. She went to bed late and then stayed up even later playing games so I took it last night," LeRoy explained.

"Oh, I see," Shelby said. "Are you going to keep it for a while? Do I need to call the house phone? I just wanted to tell her good morning."

"She's not actually out of bed yet," LeRoy said. "She's fighting getting up."

"She's going to be late," Shelby said.

"I know," LeRoy said. "Hang on a sec; I'll let you talk to her."

"Rachel, you've got ten seconds to get out of that bed," Hiram said as LeRoy walked in the room. Shelby could hear it in the background.

"Rachel, you've got a phone call," LeRoy said.

LeRoy pulled her blankets off and she curled herself into a little ball.

"Daddy!" she whined.

Shelby didn't know whether to smile or cringe. This sounded like it was an even harder time than she had getting Rachel up the morning of the interview.

"Here," LeRoy said as he placed the phone in her hand and made her put it to her ear.

"Hello?" Rachel mumbled. Her eyes were still closed.

"Good morning, Rachel," Shelby said brightly.

"Mom?" Rachel opened her eyes and looked up at her dads, both of whom had their arms crossed as they watched her.

"Why aren't you up yet?" Shelby asked. "You're going to be late."

Rachel sighed and rolled to her back. Once glance at her clock and she knew she was really pushing it, but she didn't care. She was so tired.

"Can't I just be sick today?" Rachel whined. She was more talking to her dads than to Shelby, but it was the woman who responded.

"No," Shelby said.

"Mom," Rachel complained.

Hiram and LeRoy had both been about to say something, but stopped when it was clear that Shelby was talking and Rachel was listening to her.

"Rachel, this isn't like you," Shelby said. "If the trip to New York was too much for you and it affects you this much when you get home, we'll have to make other arrangements. You'll have to fly home earlier in the day or I will only come there from now on."

"What?" Rachel asked. "That's not fair." She sat up finally put her feet on the floor.

Rachel, we thought you could handle the trip, but you're showing that you can't," Shelby added. We can make different arrangements."

"No," Rachel said. "I'm up. I'll hurry."

"Good," Shelby said. "Let me talk to one of your dads while you go get ready."

"Fine," Rachel sassed tiredly. She handed the phone over and headed towards her bathroom.

"What did you say to her?" LeRoy asked when he had the phone back.

"Just that if she couldn't handle going to New York, she wouldn't and that I would only come there from now on," Shelby told him.

"Well played, Shelby," LeRoy said with pride in his voice.

"I'm learning a little bit," she said with a smile.

Shelby did, however, leave off the fact that she had let Rachel stay up until after two in the morning the night before. She filed that lesson away with the other things she was learning about having a teenage daughter. She was being serious with Rachel though; she didn't want anything to interfere with the girl going to school.

Later that day, Shelby spoke with the producers and a date was set for her exit from the show. She would be leaving it May 27. She was also going to get designated weekends off so she could fly to Ohio to spend time with Rachel. The first one would be in two weeks and she called Hiram and LeRoy and they told her the guest room in the house would be ready and waiting for her. She would not be getting every other weekend off because that was too much, but Rachel could always come and stay with her while she had to do the show.

A week later Rachel was sitting in her American History class with Kurt and they were talking in soft tones while the teacher waited for the final bell to sound before starting. Santana and Quinn sat in the back of the class and were laughing about something, but quieted down when Mrs. Harris, their teacher, asked for everyone's attention.

"Class, I have written out a new assignment sheet and we'll be participating in something some of you hate and some of you love. Group work." There was a groan. "But don't worry; we'll all get through it together."

Earlier in the school year, Rachel would not have been keen on group work, mostly because she always ended up doing most of the work for whatever group she ended up in. But now she had Kurt and they exchanged a glance and shrugged. Group work? No problem.

"This will be a little different," Mrs. Harris went on as she started to pass out the assignment sheets. "There will be four to a group and if you guys cannot pick, I will be happy to do it for you."

Now Rachel groaned and rolled her eyes. Great.

"You've got five minutes to come up with your groups," Mrs. Harris told them. "Choose wisely." The last part was said with a smile as she sat at her desk to wait.

"Who else should we pick?" Kurt asked Rachel. They were the only two who had not gotten up from their desks.

"I don't know," Rachel said.

"You two are working with us," Santana said. She and Quinn moved to stand in front of them and Rachel and Kurt just stared up at the girls.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"We need two people," Quinn said. "Besides, we're all friends now."

"We are?" Kurt asked.

"Yes, now shut up," Santana said. "It says it's due two weeks from today so we can split up the research and work on it next weekend. How does that sound?"

Kurt gave Santana a quizzical look and was surprised to see her so efficient and on top of school work. He didn't have any real basis for why she wouldn't be, but he shook his head all the same.

"My mom will be in town next weekend," Rachel said with a sigh. It figures she'd have to do a bunch of stupid homework while her mother was here.

That little announcement got the other three's attention and they reacted quickly.

"We're working at your house," Santana said.

"We can't do it where I live," Quinn added.

"What?" Rachel asked as she looked up at them again. "Why don't we go to the library?"

"Because I don't work well in libraries," Santana said.

"Fine," Rachel said. She hoped her dads wouldn't be embarrassing. Somewhere in the back of Rachel's mind it hadn't registered yet that what the other girls were doing was jumping at the opportunity to see Shelby again.

**A/n – That's the end of this chapter. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. I'm sorry if it seems slow to some people, but I very much want to include the fathers. I love them a lot as characters and I don't want to skip over their part in all of this. Thanks, you guys! And Merry Christmas for those who celebrate! **

**And provided the Mayans were wrong, I'll see you guys on the flip side. :) **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N – I'm so, so sorry for the delay. I apologize, guys. Truly. You can blame me and the holidays and having to get back into the swing of things. But here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it. **

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews and for reading. You guys are great. I hope everyone had a happy new year. **

**I want to give you all fair warning – I am going on vacation next week and will be out of the country for a couple weeks. I'm sorry if there's a bit of delay again with me posting another chapter of this, but it is what it is. I'm really looking forward to it. But I apologize in advance if you have to wait again. I hope you all understand.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

Rachel stared in the mirror as she brushed through her hair one more time before putting a purple headband in place. Her mother had bought this headband for her the day they'd gone shopping with Kurt in Columbus. She'd been saving it all week to where it Friday since her mom would be there when she got home from school. It matched perfectly with the rest of her outfit and she was excited to show it off. Rachel didn't know that Shelby knew she had the hoodie and she had been looking forward to the reveal ever since she found out her mother would be here this weekend.

Of course, by now everyone had seen the purple NYU hoodie she was also wearing. Hiram and LeRoy weren't sure she'd ever actually taken it off in the last week. She'd worn it every day to school with varying types of outfits meant to highlight the hoodie. But nothing would match it as well as today's ensemble would. LeRoy had suggested she just wear jeans with it one day but that had earned him a disdained, "Daddy," and a roll of her eyes.

But today was perfect. The shirt she wore was white and button down because she had to forgo her normal sweaters during this time. She discovered that the first day when she'd become too hot and had to duck into a bathroom half way through the day to remove the sweater. The skirt she wore was a lighter purple than the hoodie, but they worked very well together because of the darker patches that helped create the plaid pattern in it. Her socks were knee length argyle in the same light and dark purples. She had purple flats but she decided they didn't quite look right so she settled on black ones instead. And now she had the purple headband in place and everything was perfect. She looked at herself in the full length mirror in her closet and nodded in satisfaction.

"Rachel, it's time for breakfast," Hiram called from down stairs.

"I'll be right down," Rachel yelled back.

One more look and one more smile at her own sense of fashion and Rachel grabbed her bag and left the room.

"Ten bucks says she's got it on again," Hiram said.

"No, I mentioned last night that it was time to wash it," LeRoy said. "I'm sure she's wearing something else."

"And stop getting to tell people that she's wearing her mother's hoodie? Not likely," Hiram said. "We're going to have to pry it off of her in her sleep like we did when she was three and refused to take that stupid tutu off."

"She was so cute in that tutu," LeRoy said.

"Yeah," Hiram agreed with a smile.

She'd been cute until she'd worn it four days in a row and threw a fit when she refused to take it off to get in the bath. They told her she was getting a bath or going to bed early and she chose going to bed early so she wouldn't have to change. They snuck in in the middle of the night and changed her clothes while she slept. She'd been livid the next morning. But she also took a bath so that fathers had considered that a win.

"Good morning," Rachel said brightly as she came into the kitchen.

"Morning," Hiram said as the dads turned around to greet her. He immediately held his hand out to LeRoy demanding payment.

"Sweetheart, I thought we talked about the sweatshirt," LeRoy said. He lightly shoved Hiram away.

"I know," Rachel said. "But I've been saving this outfit all week. I have to wear it today. Then it'll be so comfortable to work in when everyone is here tomorrow. Don't worry; I'm still trying to talk them into going to the library instead."

"Rach, everyone can come here to work," LeRoy said. "There's no problem with that."

"But you guys and Mom will be here," Rachel sighed as she sat down at the table to eat the breakfast Hiram had made for her.

"So," Hiram said.

"But you'll be here and you're both… a little bit… different when I'm around people," Rachel said. She may not have had many friends throughout the years, but that didn't mean she'd never suffered the embarrassment of having her parents around. Why couldn't parents just be normal people when their kids were around other kids? It just wasn't fair. "And now there will be three of you with Mom here."

Hiram and LeRoy exchanged a wide smile over her head as she ducked to take a bite.

"Do you think your father and I are going to embarrass you?" Hiram asked innocently. "Rachel, we would never."

"Yeah right," Rachel said. "I know how you two get."

"Don't worry so much about it, honey," LeRoy said. "We'll be good."

"I don't think I believe you," Rachel said cheekily. "Hopefully Mom won't be too bad."

"I thought you'd be excited that she's here when your friends are," Hiram said.

"I'm excited she'll be here," Rachel said quickly. "But I'd rather work on homework elsewhere. She gets all weird and excited about homework. You remember how she was when she was here last time and I had that paper to write."

"She just loved getting to help you," LeRoy said.

"I liked having her help too. But I don't need her hovering when my friends are here," Rachel clarified.

"Kurt and the others might be happy to have her hovering," Hiram said. They were genuinely confused about Rachel's attitude about having her mother here.

"Yeah, I guess," Rachel shrugged. "But it's just my mom. No one wants parents hovering and being embarrassing." She looked at both of them pointedly when she said embarrassing.

"Oh go to school, you brat," Hiram said with a smile. "We'd never embarrass you."

"Lies," Rachel said as she let her dad usher her out of the room.

"You're taking that sweatshirt off when you get home so we can wash it," LeRoy yelled after her.

Rachel said something back but they weren't quite sure what it was because the door closed and cut her off.

"She thinks we're embarrassing," Hiram said with his hand over his heart; this was clearly a proud moment for him.

"And did you hear her call Shelby 'just mom'?" LeRoy asked. "I think she may finally be settling into everything better."

"Yeah, that's a huge step," Hiram agreed.

"Of course she is still wearing Shelby's sweatshirt around like some sort of trophy," LeRoy said.

"Yeah, but showing off for her friends is a lot different than really believing all the hype," Hiram said. "As long as she sees Shelby as 'just mom' she'll expect her friends to as well."

"It sounds like she's really getting there," LeRoy said.

"Yep. And I can't wait for Shelby to get here so we can coach her on the finer points of being just the right amount of embarrassing in front of your child," Hiram said.

LeRoy held his hand up for a high five and Hiram enthusiastically followed through.

Shelby's flight from New York landed in Columbus later that morning and it was lunch time by the time she reached the Berrys' house. She brought her stuff in from the rental car and took up it up the spare room. She'd been given a key to the house on her last visit and she made herself at home while Hiram and LeRoy worked and Rachel was at school. After a quick lunch, she flopped down on the couch with the intention of watching TV, but soon grabbed a blanket and curled up for a nap. She had two hours before anyone would be home and nothing sounded better than a nap right now.

Kurt looked up when Rachel walked into their history classroom. He was already sitting by Santana and Quinn and they were waiting for their fourth to arrive and for class to start. Kurt's mouth fell open a little bit and he shook his head when he saw what Rachel was wearing. Yes the hoodie was cool, but she needed to take it off now. And my god, that was a lot of purple. It was time to take this friendship to the next level because he was shirking his duties as a best friend by continuing to let her dress like that.

"Jesus, did a plum puke all over you?" Santana asked as Rachel sat down.

"I like purple," Rachel said as she sat down.

"And I know it was your mom's and all, but how many times are you going to wear that sweatshirt in a row?" Santana asked.

"As many as I want," Rachel said with her head held high, but a hint of hurt in her eyes.

"Are you at least washing it?" Santana asked.

"Of course I am!" Rachel said.

Another retort was on Santana's lips, but the teacher interrupted with the start of class. They all turned their attention to the front of the room to wait for the break that allowed them to work together on their project. Quinn chanced a glance back over at Rachel and tried to read the girl's face. She really was obsessed with that stupid sweatshirt at the moment. Quinn almost hated to admit it, but she understood why. Who wouldn't be?

"You know, you really don't have to wear it every day," Quinn said once they got together to start their group work. She was trying to say that they all knew it was her mom's and so there was no point in showing it off every day.

"I don't wear it every day," Rachel said with a roll of her eyes. Were they really still talking about this? "Besides, it's been cold and it's keeping me warm."

"It is better than your puppy and pony and whatever else sweaters you wear," Santana said.

"I like my sweaters," Rachel said proudly. "Can we get to work? The more we do now the less we have to do tomorrow. Are you sure we can't just go to the library and work?"

Quinn shook her head while Santana answered.

"I told you, I don't work well in the library. Chill out, it won't take all day."

"Fine," Rachel said. "I'll be expecting you guys around one. Don't be late. I do have other things I want to do tomorrow."

Rachel reminded them again later during glee rehearsal not to be late. She hoped it only took a few hours because she wasn't keen on her time with her mother being invaded. Again. In New York it had been Brian and Evelyn and now it was Santana and Quinn. Kurt she didn't mind, but Kurt was her friend. She may be starting to think of Shelby as 'just mom,' but Rachel knew that their time was limited and precious to her. She wasn't ready for there to be a lot of outsiders involved unless it was on her terms, and this stupid project was most definitely not on her terms.

Shelby was up and enjoying a fresh cup of coffee when Hiram got home from work.

"Well hello," Hiram greeted as he came in the kitchen and grabbed a mug for himself.

"Fancy seeing you here," Shelby said.

"How was the flight?"

"Not too bad," Shelby answered. "I got here and took a nap which was wonderful."

"That's probably a good thing," Hiram chuckled. "Rachel will want you to stay up late with her, I'm sure."

"I know she will," Shelby laughed.

"Though I think we'll have to put a midnight cap on it though," Hiram said. "She's got classmates coming over tomorrow to work on a project for school."

"I know. She told me about that," Shelby said. "She didn't seem too happy about it."

"Hello!" LeRoy called out when he came through the door.

"Hi," Shelby said.

LeRoy gave Shelby a hug and held her while he kissed Hiram over her shoulder. The men laughed when they received the same scrunched up face they always got from Rachel.

"I was just about to tell Shelby how Rachel thinks we're going to embarrass her tomorrow when her friends are here," Hiram said.

"Gee, I can't imagine why she'd think that," Shelby laughed.

"We would never do that to her," LeRoy said.

"Yeah right," Shelby laughed as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"But the best part is," Hiram cut in, "is that she thinks you're going to be embarrassing too."

"What?" Shelby asked. "Why would I be embarrassing?"

"Because you're just her mom," LeRoy said. "And all parents are embarrassing when you're a teenager."

It took a few moments, but the men smiled when Shelby understood what they were saying to her. Her face brightened into a wide smile and she clapped excitedly.

"She thinks I'm going to be embarrassing?" Shelby asked with delight. "That's awesome!"

"I think some of your sparkle might be starting to wear off," Hiram said.

"Thank god," Shelby replied with a smile. "It's exhausting trying to sparkle all the time."

"Now if we could only get the shine to wear off of your NYU hoodie, we'd be good to go," LeRoy said.

"My hoodie?"

"The purple one she swiped from you," LeRoy explained. "She's worn it for at least a week straight."

"We haven't even been able to get her to wash it," Hiram added.

"I told her it was going in the wash today," Leroy said with a firm voice.

"He's said so two days in a row now," Hiram pointed out.

"Why didn't she just ask? I can get her more," Shelby said.

"This one is different," LeRoy said. "It actually belonged to you."

"No one else is walking around school wearing a hoodie that's been worn by Shelby Corcoran before," Hiram said.

"I should hope not," Shelby laughed. "I'm sure we can get the hoodie off of her tonight."

"Good luck," Hiram said. "You're going to have to pry it off."

Shelby looked at him skeptically, but nodded.

Rachel's excitement grew as she got closer to her house on the walk home. She thought maybe one of her parents would have been there to meet her at school, but she liked the walk as well. She usually went at a more leisurely pace than this, but she was ready to get home and see her mom.

"Hey!" Rachel yelled when she came in through the front door and promptly dropped her school bag.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Shelby said as she and Hiram and LeRoy left the kitchen to go and meet Rachel.

Shelby bent slightly so Rachel could wrap her arms around her neck and then she picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"How are you?" Shelby asked as she set her on her feet. "How was school?"

"Fine and fine," Rachel answered.

"Good. How about you go change out of your school clothes and then come back down and help me make some dinner?" Shelby asked.

"You're making dinner tonight?"

"We are making dinner tonight," Shelby corrected her daughter. "But you need to change first. You can start by taking off my hoodie."

"Your hoodie?" Rachel asked coyly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I see it made it to Lima before I did," Shelby said.

"I don't know how it ended up in my bag," Rachel shrugged.

"It just jumped in there, huh?" Shelby said. "But come on, let's take it off. I'm glad you like it and like wearing it, but it needs to be washed."

Shelby grabbed the bottom of the shirt and tried to pull it up but Rachel stopped her. An embarrassed expression crossed the girl's features briefly and she stepped closer to Shelby and stood up on her toes so she could whisper in her ear. The two fathers watched curiously from across the room.

"I can't wash it," Rachel whispered. "If I do, it won't smell like you anymore. Daddy tried to wash it when I got home and I stopped him. I don't want to... I don't want it to stop smelling like you."

Rachel rocked back on her feet and looked down at the ground and missed the smile that graced Shelby's lips when the woman leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Sweetie, it needs to be washed," Shelby whispered. "But I promise I'll fix it so that it smells like you want it to, ok?"

"Ok," Rachel nodded reluctantly after a moment.

"Good girl," Shelby said as she stood back up to her full height.

This time when Shelby lifted the bottom of the sweatshirt Rachel raised her arms and let the woman slide it over her head. Hiram looked at LeRoy and both men shook their heads at the ease with which Shelby had gotten Rachel to remove the hoodie. It figured.

The small family sat around talking for hours after dinner that night. Shelby had brought a picture album of her own for Rachel to look through and Rachel loved it. Hiram and LeRoy marveled over how much Shelby and their daughter looked alike when they were young.

"Mom, look how big your hair is?" Rachel laughed. She was practically sitting on Shelby she was so close to her on the couch.

"It was the 80's, Rachel. I was a teenager. You'd have had big hair too," Shelby defended herself.

"Is that a New Kids on the Block jean jacket?" Rachel asked incredulously as she took a closer look at one of the pictures.

"Yes," Shelby said proudly. "Don't judge. I loved them."

"Geez, I always assumed you'd have better taste in music than that," Rachel said.

Shelby gasped. "The New Kids on the Block were amazing!"

Rachel just gave her a look like she was now questioning the woman's sanity.

"How old are you in this picture?" Rachel asked as she held it closer to her face to get a better look. Shelby could swear she could hear her daughter muttering something about boy bands under her breath.

"I was fifteen," Shelby answered.

"Is that a picture from when you snuck off to go to their concert in Indianapolis?" Hiram asked and both Shelby and Rachel's heads snapped up to look at him.

"How do you even remember that?" Shelby asked.

"You told us about it one time?" LeRoy said.

"I know. And I don't really think it's something we should discuss now," Shelby said and her eyes quickly darted over to Rachel. "But I can't believe you guys remember me telling you about it."

"We remember everything," Hiram said sagely.

"You snuck out to go to a concert?" Rachel asked. This was a story she was ready to hear.

"Not technically," Shelby answered. "It wasn't that big of a deal." Somehow she knew that Rachel would get this into her head and think it was a good idea if she found out about it.

"That's not how I remember you telling it," Hiram said.

"What happened?" Rachel asked excitedly.

"As it turns out, Rachel, your mother and her friend wanted to go and see the New Kids, but couldn't figure out how to get down to Indianapolis for the show," Hiram said.

"I can't believe I ever told you guys this story," Shelby said as she rested her head on her hand and waited for him to continue.

"Your mom pretended to be her mom on the phone and used her credit card to pay for the tickets and then they hitchhiked down to the city for the concert," Hiram said.

Rachel's eyes went wide and she looked up at her mother in awe.

"You hitchhiked?" Rachel asked. She then turned her dads and said, "It kind of makes my using your credit card to get her poster seem just a little better, doesn't it? At least I never hitchhiked anywhere."

"And you better not ever hitchhike anywhere," Shelby said. "It was dangerous and stupid."

"How did you get home?" Rachel asked.

"We couldn't find a ride because there were too many police officers around," Shelby said. "We eventually made our way to an all-night diner and called my friend's mom and she came and got us."

"That's so cool," Rachel said. There were stars in her eyes and Shelby glared at the dads who were grinning at her. Welcome to having a teenager, Shelby.

"It's not cool," Shelby said. "It was dangerous. And we got in a lot of trouble."

"What happened?" Rachel asked.

"My friend's mom was not very happy with us at all," Shelby said. "She spanked both of us right there in the bathroom of that diner. It was such an uncomfortable ride home. My parents' grounded me for using the card."

Rachel just shrugged like the punishments weren't that bad. "But at least you got to see your concert. Even if it reflects a poor taste in music, you got to see them. That's worth it."

Shelby opened her mouth to say something, but didn't know what to say. How do you argue with that? That's exactly how she and her friend had looked at it at the time.

"Don't worry," LeRoy said when he saw Shelby's worried face. "Rachel knows that if something is that important to her, she can come to us and we will look into taking her. She knows never to even consider hitchhiking because she knows how dangerous it is and that if she ever did it, she would find herself over one of our knees in no time."

"Daddy," Rachel ducked her head in an embarrassed fashion at her father's declaration.

"I'm just trying to reassure your mother, sweetheart," LeRoy said. "She's worried you'll try the same thing one day."

"I won't," Rachel shrugged. "I don't need to."

Shelby looked down at her daughter who was looking up at her adoringly. She knew what that face meant and so did the dads who were doing their best to stifle their laughter. Rachel's face clearly meant that she wouldn't need to sneak off for something like that because she had the most awesome mom ever who would take her if she wanted to go. Oh boy.

Later that night, Shelby peeked in to check on Rachel who had gone to bed half an hour before. She found the girl sitting up in bed leaning against the headboard and looking through Shelby's album again.

"What are you doing?" Shelby asked as she sat down on the bed.

"Just looking at them again," Rachel said. "I liked getting to see pictures of you. I think I've seen every one that's out on the internet."

"How about you stay away from looking for me on the internet from now on," Shelby said. "You talk to me about anything you want to know."

"Ok," Rachel agreed.

Shelby hoped that Rachel would stick with that, but she knew the temptations of looking for yourself on Google. But Shelby didn't need her reading or seeing anything she didn't understand. Plus, people could be really vicious and she didn't want Rachel to see any of that either. She had been dealing with enough bullying as it was.

"How old are you in this picture?" Rachel asked. She held the book up so Shelby could see.

"Nine," Shelby answered. "I was at camp. I went every summer?"

"Did you like going there?" Rachel asked through a yawn.

"Yes, very much," Shelby said.

Shelby moved and got all the way into the bed and sat up next to Rachel and wrapped her arm around the girl. Rachel scooted down and rested her head against her mother's chest and molded into her side. Shelby pulled the blankets up over and rubbed her back and started to tell her about camp once again. Shelby had already told the stories to Rachel earlier when they talked about the picture, but she was happy to tell her again.

"I went for two weeks every summer," Shelby started. "Being at camp is some of the best memories of my childhood…"

Hiram found them an hour later. They were both asleep with the photo album still open on Shelby's lap. He left for a second and went and got his camera and snapped a few pictures. They would have to start a new album soon.

Rachel's mood was completely different by the time Kurt, Santana, and Quinn arrived. It was clear to everyone that she wanted them in and out and gone.

"I hope they remember everything they need," Rachel said as she waited for them to arrive. "I don't want this to take longer than it needs to."

"Rachel, calm down," LeRoy said. "I don't know why you're so worked up, but you need to relax."

"I'm relaxed," Rachel said and no one believed her. She'd been snippy and annoying all morning and none of the parents knew where the attitude was coming from.

Rachel glanced at the clock and plopped down on the couch. It was close to one now and everyone would be there soon. The only thing that had gotten Rachel to smile all day was when she got up and saw that her mother was wearing her newly washed purple NYU hoodie. Shelby planned to wear it all day and had used a spray of her perfume so that the sweatshirt would start to smell like her again. Shelby was in jeans and socked feet and she'd been glad when she convinced Rachel to stay comfortable that day instead of getting dressed as she would for school. To everyone's shock, Rachel had worn a pair of jeans that day as well. A simple long sleeved shirt rounded out her outfit.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Shelby asked as she took a seat next to Rachel.

"Nothing," Rachel said dramatically. She laid back on the couch and slung and arm over her eyes.

"I don't believe you, you know," Shelby said. She picked up Rachel's feet and put them on her lap. Rachel's toes wiggled in her socks when Shelby gently tickled her feet.

"Stop," Rachel said. Shelby complied and rested her hands on Rachel's shins instead. "What are we doing later?"

"I don't know," Shelby said with a shrug. "It all depends on how long it takes to do this project. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Rachel said as she rolled over on her side and reached for the remote. "I just want to hang out with you."

"Well that sounds perfect because I just want to hang out with you," Shelby said.

"Ok," Rachel said.

The girl turned the TV on and started to surf through the channels. She stopped when she reached a scary movie. She had no real desire to watch _Saw_, but she left it there and flicked her eyes to her mother to see if she'd say anything. Shelby didn't believe that Rachel wanted to watch this and she saw the girl quickly shut her eyes when a particularly gruesome part came on the screen.

"Rachel, are you sure you want to watch this?" Shelby asked.

Rachel nodded and then squealed and jumped wen something else happened. The sounds from the TV and Shelby's question had piqued LeRoy's attention in the other room and he came in to see what they were watching. He shook his head and quickly crossed the room so she was standing behind the couch.

"I don't think so," LeRoy said. He leaned over and gave Rachel's bottom a couple of gentle smacks to get her attention. "Turn it off."

"But-"

"Now."

Rachel huffed and turned the TV off and tossed the remote back on the coffee table. LeRoy's reprimand was cut off when the doorbell rang. He gave her bottom a slightly sharper smack.

"Go get the door," LeRoy instructed.

Rachel begrudgingly got to her feet and trudged out of the room. Shelby stood as well and turned to give LeRoy an apologetic look.

"Did you think she should be watching that?" LeRoy asked before Shelby could say anything.

"No," Shelby answered.

"Then tell her so next time," he said. "You don't need to ask her opinion or give her an explanation for your decision, especially not when it comes to something like this. Scary movies give her nightmares. Plus she's only 15 and does not need to be exposed to things like that."

"I know," Shelby said. "But I didn't… She-"

"She is testing you," LeRoy said.

"She knows I'll put my foot down," Shelby said. "I did that in New York."

"I know," LeRoy said. "But it's not like it's a onetime thing and she's good to go. It's useful knowledge to know that at Mom's house she can watch things she's not allowed to watch a home."

"I didn't think of it like that," Shelby said. "I'm sorry."

"Shelby," LeRoy said as he took her hands in how own, "I'm not trying to call you out; I just want you to trust yourself. Your instincts told you she shouldn't be watching that movie, but you ignored them. Don't ignore your instincts, Shelby. You are a good mom."

Shelby moved around the couch and leaned into LeRoy for a hug and he obliged and held her close.

"Listen, this may sound mean, but I'm going to tell you something you need to keep in mind," LeRoy said. Shelby nodded her head against his chest. "Rachel's feelings are important. But they are not the only feelings that matter. If you hurt her feelings by telling her she can't watch a movie or she can't go to the mall with a friend or she can't stay up past her bedtime, then oh well."

"But what if something is so important to her?" Shelby asked.

"Then you can talk about," LeRoy said. "But you still get to make the decisions and you have to understand that."

"My parents never listened to me," Shelby said. "They never cared about what was important to me."

"You're not your parents," LeRoy reminded her. "But you have to trust me when I tell you there is a line between hearing your child out and understanding why they want to do something that is important to them, and simply making decisions on their behalf. I don't care how adamantly, she wants to watch a gruesome movie, it's not happening here while Hiram or me is here to say no. If she wants to go to a concert in Columbus on a school night, then we sit down and talk about it. Does that make sense?"

"Yes," Shelby nodded again. "I really thought I was getting it."

"You are," LeRoy assured her quickly. "Trust me, you are. I'm just trying to help you along the learning curve because Rachel has a lot more practice at this than you do. And that sweet little girl will walk all over you if you let her. You've handled a big moment and you did it wonderfully, but you have to do the same with small things as well. And no matter how much Rachel pouts or whines or cries, reasonable boundaries and discipline are not bad things."

"So what happens if she won't turn the TV away from the scary movie?" Shelby asked.

"I take the TV away," LeRoy said. "Or I send her to her room for a little while. I make her do a chore."

"Ok," Shelby nodded.

Rachel interrupted the conversation when she walked into the room with the three other kids behind her and rolled her eyes at what she saw. Why were they standing there hugging? God, she knew they'd all be embarrassing today. Before Rachel could make any introductions, Hiram joined them. He came in from the study where he'd been playing a game on his computer.

Kurt smiled at all of them and Santana and Quinn looked around like they were studying the house. To be honest, they hadn't been sure what to expect from Rachel Berry's house. Or her fathers.

"These are my parents," Rachel said. "And this is Santana and Quinn," she pointed them each out. "And Kurt, of course."

Hiram shook his head and stepped forward. Amazing introductions there, Rachel.

"I'm Hiram Berry. And this is LeRoy. Please feel free to call us by our first names," Hiram said. "Mr. Berry would just get confusing after a while. And this is Shelby Corcoran, Rachel's mom. Call her Ms. Corcoran."

"Call me Shelby," the woman said with a roll of her eyes.

Hiram and Leroy shook hands with Santana and Quinn and then greeted Kurt again. Shelby gave Kurt a hug much to his delight and told the girls it was nice to see them again.

"I really love that sweatshirt on you!" Santana gushed when she noticed that Shelby was wearing the same sweatshirt Rachel had been wearing all week. It was an easy way to make a good impression right off the bat.

"I do too," Quinn added.

Rachel's mouth dropped open in shock. They'd been picking on her about that same sweatshirt for days.

"Thank you," Shelby said. "It's Rachel's now. I just needed something to wear today."

"Come on, let's go get started so we can finish," Rachel cut it. "We can go up to my room."

"Why don't you guys work in the dining room?" LeRoy asked. "You'll have more room to spread out whatever materials you need over the table."

"That works," Quinn said.

"Yeah, that's fine with me," Santana added.

"Whatever," Rachel said when they all looked at her.

Forty-five minutes later the kids were sitting around the table in the dining room with their work spread out in front of them. They each had a soda to drink and there were two different kinds of snacks in bowls on the table. Santana and Quinn were taking every opportunity they could to talk with Shelby and were thrilled when she'd agreed to stay at the table and help them work. The girls and even Kurt were hanging on every word that Shelby said as she talked about history and their assignment. Rachel, however, sat back in her chair glaring. They hadn't been able to get much done since Santana and Quinn wouldn't leave Shelby alone and now Shelby was taking up so much time talking about things they already knew. They'd be here for hours at this rate. This was her weekend with her mom, not anyone else's.

As it had before, the conversation started to move away from history as Santana and Quinn started to talk to Shelby about other things. Rachel hated it. She hated that they were even talking. She hated that her mom was engaged in conversation with them. But most of all, she hated that Shelby seemed to be enjoying their company. It figured, of course. Why wouldn't Shelby want to talk to the prettier girls who always looked perfect? She could hear Shelby's words about loving Rachel exactly as she is, but if that was the case why did all of their time keep getting interrupted? Why didn't her mother talk to her about clothes and shoes like she was with Quinn and Santana? Quinn even brought up Broadway and Rachel scoffed because she knew good and well that Quinn Fabray didn't care at all about Broadway. But she and Santana were laughing with her about something they didn't even understand.

"What's the matter with you?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Nothing," Rachel answered. "I thought we were here to do our project, not talk about everything else."

"We've gotten a lot done," Kurt shrugged.

"All they want to do is talk to my mom," Rachel said. "We can't get anything done."

Kurt looked at Rachel and then back at Santana and Quinn talking to Shelby. The woman looked up and smiled over at him, but it started to fade when she saw Rachel. Shelby had been trying to include in the conversations, but it wasn't working.

"I'll be right back," Rachel said suddenly and stood up from the table and left the room.

"Ok, you guys get back to work," Shelby said. "I'll get some more snacks and be back."

Shelby made her way into the kitchen and frowned when she didn't see Rachel there. Hiram was sneaking some of the snacks they'd set out for the kids and Shelby rolled her eyes when he tried to hide them from her view.

"Where did Rachel go?" Shelby asked and she sighed when Hiram pointed towards the bathroom and she looked down the hall and saw the closed door.

"Is something the matter?"

"She's just been acting weird," Shelby said. "I'm not sure what's going on."

"I don't know what was up with her mood this morning," Hiram said. "I know she and those girls haven't exactly gotten along in the past, but I thought the glee club was helping them move past it."

"I talked to those girls about their treatment of her once too," Shelby said. "When I was at the school last time. But Rachel just seems really angry today and nothing has happened. I've been helping them, but I haven't been embarrassing."

"I can talk to her when she gets out," Hiram said. "Her mood does not need to stop the work on the project."

Shelby shook her head. "Let's leave it be for now. They're getting close to finishing up, I think. I don't want there to be a scene in front of her friends or anything like that."

"Ok," Hiram agreed easily.

Shelby turned back to the dining room, but stopped short of entering when she heard the kids talking.

"Can't you see that Rachel's getting upset?" Kurt asked.

"She's just pouting like she does when she's not getting her way," Santana said.

"You used her and this assignment to come over here and hang out with her mom," Kurt said. "I can't imagine why she's upset."

"We didn't even know her mom would be in town when we formed this group," Quinn reminded him. "And it makes just as much sense to work here as anywhere else."

"You probably didn't care where we worked until you heard that Shelby would be here," Kurt said.

"Oh like you're so much better," Santana accused. "We know you're only friends with her because you like Shelby."

"That's not true," Kurt said. "It blossomed because we started talking about Shelby, but Rachel is my friend. I don't only want to spend time with her when her mother is around. I don't even really care anymore. I treat Shelby the same way Rachel treats my dad; with respect and courtesy, not because she's some big star, but because she's my friend's mom."

"Shelby doesn't seem to have a problem talking with us," Santana said.

"That was before I knew you were using my daughter to get into her house," Shelby said as she stepped into the room.

All three kids gasped and turned to look at her. Santana and Quinn exchanged a glance and their shared look of 'oh shit' was not lost on Shelby.

"Kurt, why don't you go in the living room and hang out with Hiram and LeRoy for a bit," Shelby said. "I'd like to have a chat with Quinn and Santana."

Kurt didn't need to be told twice and he left the room. Shelby waited for him to leave and turned her attention back to the girls in front of her. Apparently the last time she had spoken with them about this, it hadn't been enough.

Rachel left the bathroom after getting away for a few minutes. Hopefully they had started working on the project again while she was gone. She really wanted to finish it up so everyone would leave and she could have her mom back.

Rachel walked through the kitchen and stopped when she saw that Kurt was nowhere in sight and it was just her mother talking with the two girls. Rachel wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but she was seeing red. Green was more like it, though she'd never admit that.

She hated that her mother was having such a good time talking to those girls. Quinn and Santana treated her like crap sometimes, but were wonderful around her mother. They'd been joking her for days about the stupid hoodie and now they loved it when Shelby wore it. She had no chance of ever getting to be friends with anyone if they all liked her mom better.

And why wasn't her mom spending this time with her? Why was she always talking with Quinn and Santana? She'd even spoken to Kurt more than she had Rachel since everyone had arrived. Nothing about this was fair.

Rachel spun on her heel and stomped out of the room towards the stairs.

"Sweetheart?" LeRoy asked as Rachel stormed by him on the stairs.

He watched her until she'd disappeared around the corner upstairs. It only took a couple seconds more for her door to slam. He looked back at the living room and saw Kurt sitting in there with Hiram. What the hell was going on?

**A/N – Oh, Rachel. Dear sweet, irrational Rachel. That's all for this chapter! Again, I'm so sorry about the delay. I hope you all like this one. Please leave me a review. I truly appreciate the feedback. Thanks, guys! **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N – I'm so sorry, guys. I tried so hard to get this update out before this, but real life kept getting in the way. My trip took its toll and my job has been very stressful recently. I really do hope I'm back in the swing of things now. But I do apologize and am so grateful to you guys for being patient and sticking with me. I can't thank you enough for all of your reviews and for reading each update. Thank you.**

**I do want to bring up one thing though. Renata, you left me a review that said, "It is important to the parents remember that Shelby was only called back into Rachel's life because of the bullying she was suffering." Yes, Rachel is bullied, but that's not at all why she and Shelby met in this story. Rachel's life at school had nothing to do with it. Rachel discovered the truth and sought Shelby out while on a trip to New York City with her fathers. Shelby wasn't called back into her life at all; Rachel found her. I enjoy your reviews so much and am always excited to see them, but this one confused me. I'm not sure if you have an account here, but if you have any questions please feel free to send me a message or just post them in a review. I'll do my best to answer it.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

Rachel took great satisfaction in the loud slam of her bedroom door and she huffed in anger and hurt as she stood in her room and clenched her fists. Leave it to Quinn and Santana to ruin everything. Why should they be getting all of her mom's attention? Why should Shelby want to spend more time with them than with her? She should want to spend all of her time with Rachel. That's how this was supposed to go. It was her mom and her weekend. Damn that stupid history class and the stupid project. They should be done by now, but instead her mom was down there hanging out with the girls who despised her. Well whatever, they could just do it all without her then.

Rachel opened her closet door and walked into the generous space. One of the things she loved best about her room was that she had a nice sized walk-in closet. She knew that in order to be fashionable you had to have the space to let your wardrobe grow. She'd been in awe of the size of her mother's closet at the apartment in New York. Not that her fathers didn't also have a lot of space too.

She moved a small storage container to the side and maneuvered behind it so she could sit against the wall. She slid down and got herself comfortable and crossed her arms in a mighty pout. She was going to make them all come to her.

LeRoy cast one more glance at his husband and Kurt and noticed the concerned look on Hiram's face as the boy talked to him. He didn't know what was going on with Shelby in the other room with Quinn and Santana so he turned on the stairs and headed up to Rachel's room. He wanted to get to the bottom of why she had stormed out of the room.

He knocked lightly and entered the room, but didn't see any sign of her.

"Rachel?" LeRoy asked.

Rachel rolled her eyes from her spot in the closet. That didn't take very long. She didn't say anything in return.

LeRoy saw that her closet door was open and he shook his head knowingly. Rachel had always hidden in her closet when she wasn't getting her way. If she was upset or had been scolded, she would slide into her spot and pout or cry. It had been about seven or eight months since the last time she'd hidden there. But the routine was always the same. She would hide out for as long as she wanted and the men would let her have her space. Sometimes she also liked to wait until someone came to get her because that seemed to serve her dramatic nature well. But, depending on the reasons, the fathers would refuse to give in to her demands for attention because she was throwing a fit. When she was younger it was not an uncommon occurrence for Hiram or LeRoy to have to pick a sleeping Rachel up from the closet floor and put her to bed.

"Rachel?" LeRoy asked again as he went to stand at the open closet door.

If staying out of sight was her main goal, Rachel never really achieved it because she had always refused to close the closet door. She was scared of the dark when she was little and ever though there was a light in the closet, as a small child, Rachel never wanted to risk it so the door remained open.

Leroy smiled sympathetically at her as he took her in demeanor. Her arms were crossed and she was definitely pouting, but he couldn't think of any way that this was his doing, so he was ready to figure out what was wrong.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?" LeRoy asked.

"Nothing," Rachel replied grumpily.

Leroy nodded. Sure there was nothing wrong.

"Are you finished with your project?" he asked, trying a different approach.

"No," Rachel said.

"Well why aren't you downstairs helping with it?"

"They don't need my help," Rachel said. Her arms were still crossed and her brow was knitted with annoyance and anger.

"I doubt that's true," Leroy said. "It's a group project and you need to be down there working on it with everyone else."

"I'm sure Mom and Quinn and Santana have got it covered," Rachel bratted out.

"Rachel, you need to get up and go downstairs and get back to work," LeRoy said.

"No. I'm not going back down there to watch them having a great time. We could be done with that stupid project by now if Mom didn't insist on talking so much," Rachel told him.

LeRoy took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips and looked down at his defiant child. Like most parents, LeRoy did like being told no. But, like most parents, he knew how to pick his battles.

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong and see if I can help you instead of sitting in here and pouting," LeRoy suggested.

"Nothing is wrong," Rachel maintained. She never shifted her angry gaze away from the wall in front of her.

LeRoy shook his head and turned away from the closet and headed out of the room. God, she was stubborn!

While LeRoy had been trying to reason with Rachel upstairs, Shelby was down in the dining room talking to Quinn and Santana. Both girls were quietly sitting at the table and were reluctant to meet the angry woman's stare.

"Does it really give you that much enjoyment to treat her badly? Or to laugh at her?" Shelby asked. She certainly remembered the way both girls had laughed at Rachel the day she'd seen her daughter get slushied.

"We weren't laughing at her," Santana said.

"Not today," Shelby said. "But you used her and the project to get into her house. Trust me ladies, I'm not that interesting."

"We were working as a team for the project before we knew that you would be here," Quinn said. "We had to work at someone's house, so why not here?"

"Because the only reason you're here is so you can get to hang out with me," Shelby said. "You don't care about her or her feelings. Instead you disrespected her and her fathers and me."

"We weren't trying to be disrespectful," Santana said. "We asked her and Kurt to be in our group for the project."

"Would you have come to work over here if I wasn't going to be in town?" Shelby asked.

"Maybe," Quinn shrugged. "We had to go somewhere."

"Why not at your house?" Shelby pointed to Santana. "Or yours?" She turned her attention to Quinn.

Quinn looked down and suddenly found her hands very interesting as she wrung them together. Santana looked over at Quinn and sighed sympathetically before glaring back up at Shelby.

"We also could have gone to Kurt's house. We get it, ok?" Santana was defiant.

"I don't think you do," Shelby retorted. "This whole thing has been very hard on Rachel and she gets picked on enough, no thanks to you two. She shouldn't have to worry about any of that coming into her house."

"This has been hard on her?" Quinn asked sarcastically as she looked back up at Shelby. "She has two loving fathers that she brags about all the damn time, by the way, and then she finds out she's got a rich movie star mother who clearly loves her. Yeah, that's gotta be really hard. And just so you know, we couldn't have worked at my house because my parents kicked me out when I told them I was pregnant."

Santana stared at Shelby as the woman's face registered what she'd just heard. She was silent as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Shelby pulled out the chair she'd occupied earlier and sat down. Her tone was softer than before when she started to speak.

"Quinn, I'm very sorry that happened to you," Shelby started. "And I understand all of you were partners for the project before you knew I'd be in town, but it doesn't excuse the fact that you are using Rachel to be here and get to me. What do you two want? Autographs? Pictures? We can do all of that. Did you just want to hang out and talk? We've done that. And whether or not you believe it, this situation has been hard on Rachel. I like you two. You were both interesting and fun to talk to, but I want you to listen closely to me. Using my daughter will stop. Right now. I am going to be around a lot because I'm going to visit Rachel all the time. I will be there at the glee club performances so we will get to see each other. But if I hear of this type of behavior again, I will not want to be around you at all."

"So you're saying that we've got to be friends with Rachel or you will ignore us?" Santana accused.

"No," Shelby said. "You can't force friendships. But the three of you may surprise yourselves and find that you want to be friends. But that takes real effort and not using her. Come on, you guys are teammates."

"You know, your daughter has a lot she could learn about being a good teammate too," Santana said.

"I'm sure she does," Shelby said. "And I will talk to her about all of this as well. But maybe that's something you two could help her with instead of just making fun or her or laughing at her or using her. How do you think that makes her feel? How do you think that makes me feel? I'm the one you guys want to get close to and it just makes me want to have nothing to do with you."

"Ok," Santana finally relented. "We'll try. But you better talk to her and get her to try as well."

"I will," Shelby promised.

Hiram wore a concerned expression as he looked up from his conversation with Kurt and saw his husband coming down the stairs. He got up and met LeRoy at the foot of the stairs to find out if he'd spoken with Rachel. Kurt looked from where the two men were talking over to the dining room and saw that Shelby was still in there with the other girls. He sighed and sat back and got comfortable. It looked like he might be here for a while.

"That child is so stubborn," LeRoy said when Hiram walked up to him. "I know something's up, but she wouldn't tell me anything. She's in her closet."

"I'll go and talk to her," Hiram said.

"You know what's going on, don't you?" LeRoy asked.

"Yeah, mostly," Hiram told him. "Go and talk to Kurt. He can fill you in."

The men headed in opposite directions and Hiram soon found himself at his daughter's door and knocked as he entered. They always knocked first. He went straight to the open door of the closet and, unlike LeRoy, didn't stop at the entryway. Hiram walked right in and sat down on the floor next to his daughter. Rachel's anger and jealously was being manifested in the tears that were now on her cheeks. She swiped at the tears angrily to wipe them away and wouldn't look up at her father.

"Oh pumpkin," Hiram said as he put his arms around Rachel and pulled her close.

Rachel let her tears really come now as she rested her head against his shoulder. He rubbed her back and cooed sympathies at her. Hiram, like Rachel, had a dramatic side and often times understood her over-the-top ways more than LeRoy. They were peas in a pod sometimes and LeRoy had spent a great deal of time shaking his head at them as he dealt with their antics over the years.

"I hate those stupid girls and that stupid project," Rachel said. "They're ruining everything!"

"They're not ruining everything," Hiram said gently. "They just don't get it."

"Yes they do," Rachel argued adamantly. "They get whatever they want. But I don't care anymore!"

Hiram wanted to roll his eyes. Yeah, sitting on the floor in your closet crying was a good way to prove how much you don't care.

"Sweetheart, I think you're overreacting a bit," Hiram said gently. "You're jealous for no reas-"

"I'm not jealous!" Rachel yelled and slammed her fist down on the carpeted floor. "Besides, what's there to be jealous of?" she asked sarcastically. "They hang all over my mom but won't say two nice words to me ever. My mom comes all the way from New York to spend the weekend with me but she'd rather talk to them all day long. Fine. It's whatever. I don't care. But they didn't have to get in the way of doing that damn project because on top of everything else that still has to be finished."

"Rachel," Hiram scolded. Damn wasn't exactly a horrible word on the grand scale of things, but they did not allow their little girl to swear at all. They realized, of course, that she was not immune from hearing those words, but they wanted to keep them out of her mouth as long as possible.

"Dad," Rachel's eyes went wide when she realized what she'd said. "I'm sorry."

"It's time to get up now," Hiram said. "Come on."

"No, Dad. I'm sorry," Rachel said.

"Hush now," Hiram said.

He got to his feet and then held a hand out and Rachel reluctantly took it and let him help her up. Hiram led them out of the closet and closed the door and had Rachel stand in front of him.

"I know you are upset, but you're also missing information," Hiram explained. "I want you to go down there and talk to your mother so we can get this all settled."

"What information am I missing?" Rachel said as her tears started again. "That she likes them better than me? That she wouldn't leave us alone to just work so we could be finished and we could have our day? She didn't want that."

Hiram sighed and pulled the girl to him and she rested her head against his chest. Part of him wanted to pick her up and hold her like when she was younger and that could solve all of her problems.

"Rach, none of that is true," Hiram said. "And deep down, I think you know that. You have been worked up about this whole project all day and you let it get to you and you're up here crying instead of down there involved with your mom and classmates."

"I don't want to be around them if I'm just going to be ignored," Rachel cried.

"Were you being ignored or have you been pouting all day?" Hiram asked. "Have you made the effort today that you're demanding your mom and Quinn and Santana make?"

Hiram knew the answer to that was no. He could tell that just by glances every so often into the dining room where they were working. He knew of Quinn and Santana, of course, and though he didn't know everything they'd said or done to Rachel, he understood the girl's displeasure at having to share her mother with them, even if that notion of sharing was all in her head. But if they hoped for a change from those girls in how they treated Rachel, that would not be achieved through anger or tantrums; it would be achieved through communication and common ground. He had not heard the conversations all day long, but Quinn and Santana had seemed polite, even overly so. Though he knew now that was because they wanted to be so close to Shelby. It was a dumb move, but one he understood. If Rachel had a friend who knew Barbra Streisand, she'd probably move in with that friend if Barbra was in town.

"It's my house," Rachel mumbled with a deep pout. "And my mom."

"And right now you are up here when you could be down there with your mom," Hiram said. "She wants to spend time with you. I know she was excited to get to work with you on your homework."

"That's stupid," Rachel said as she pulled back from the hug and wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry you think so," Hiram said. "But in spite of you feeling that way, you do need to go back downstairs and help with this project so it can be completed. So why don't you go wash your face and head back down."

"Why don't they just finish it without me?" Rachel sassed. Her attitude was making a return now that the pouting seemed to be done.

"Rachel," Hiram warned. "Wash your face and go back downstairs to finish your schoolwork. You can be upset and angry, but you are going to be polite."

"Is Mom still talking with them privately?" Rachel pushed just a bit farther. "I can wait until they're done with that."

"Rachel," Hiram warned again in a darker tone. He may have excelled at playing the good cop, but he was just as much a disciplinarian as LeRoy was and Rachel knew it. "You will probably find that their conversation is very different from what you think it was." Kurt had told him that Shelby seemed angry and wanted to talk to the girls, but he wasn't going to give Rachel specifics on a conversation he hadn't heard firsthand. The last thing they needed right now was for Rachel to think something was said when it really wasn't.

"I doubt it. It was probably about how awesome they think each other are. No thanks, I don't need to hear that," Rachel sassed.

Hiram crossed his arms and stared Rachel down. "Do we need to have a conversation about your language and your attitude before you go back downstairs?"

"No, sir," Rachel said quickly as she realized she'd taken one step too many over the line.

"Then go," Hiram instructed.

Rachel scooted past him and into her bathroom to wash her face like she was told to do. She cleaned the tears from her cheeks and brushed through her hair and came up with a different tactic. She'd go down there and do all of the work herself if it meant getting everyone out of the house as quickly as possible. She wouldn't be happy about it though. Polite and happy were two different things and her father had only instructed her to be polite. She could be polite and get them out of the house and go back to hiding in her room. She didn't care what her mother did.

LeRoy finished talking with Kurt and waited until he saw Shelby come out of the dining room to approach her.

"I really don't think I was involved in this much drama when I was a kid," Shelby said. She was pulling a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"You were a teenage girl; of course you were involved in this much drama," LeRoy told her. "You guys carry drama around with you and pull it out whenever it suits you."

Shelby rolled her eyes at him and took a sip from her drink. "Where did Rachel disappear to? I haven't seen her since before I learned those girls were just here to get to me."

"She's up in her room sulking," LeRoy answered.

"What? Why?" Shelby asked. "I know she's been moody all day, but what happened now? Did she know that's what the girls were doing?"

"No," LeRoy answered. "She wouldn't tell me what was going on, but from what I gather she's angry at them and you."

"Me? What did I do?" Shelby asked.

LeRoy shrugged. "She wouldn't tell me what was bothering her. Hiram is up talking to her right now."

"She's jealous," Hiram said as he entered the room and heard them talking about Rachel.

"Why?" Shelby asked.

"Of the girls hanging out with you," Hiram said. "And she thinks you're having too much fun spending time with them and not her and that's why it's taking so long to do the project. All she wants is for the project to be finished so everyone will leave so she can have you back. Though, LeRoy's right. She's mad at you now."

"None of that even makes any sense," Shelby said. "Why would I want to spend more time with Quinn and Santana than with her? And they're making good progress on the project. They're actually pretty close to being done."

"Good," Hiram said. "She should be back down here soon to help."

"I don't know why she feels that way," Shelby said apologetically. "Of course I want to spend time with her."

"Don't worry about, Shelby," Hiram said. "We know that. She's been upset about this all day. You guys can talk after everyone leaves."

"In fact, I was thinking of taking my gorgeous husband out to dinner," LeRoy said. "You and Rach can have the house all to yourself."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that," Hiram said.

"Maybe I should take her out too," Shelby said. "Just the two of us so I can make up for-"

"Stop right there," Hiram said. "You have nothing to make up for. She is jumping to all sorts of conclusions that aren't true. You can help her clear those up, but you are not doing anything wrong."

"He's right," LeRoy said. "Stay in and you don't have the worry of being interrupted of or recognized."

"Plus, if her attitude stays the way it is, you've always got a room to send her to," Hiram added. "You won't have that if you go out."

"I wouldn't have to do that," Shelby said with a light chuckle.

LeRoy was about to respond, but kept quiet when they saw Rachel coming down the stairs. She went to Kurt who was still sitting in the living room and sat down with him. She purposely didn't look over at her parents.

"There you are," Kurt said.

"Yeah, I just needed a minute or two," Rachel told him. "Come on, let's finish this stupid project."

"Your mom talked to Santana and Quinn about how they were acting," Kurt said as they got up.

"I'm sure she did," Rachel replied. She didn't believe it.

"Rachel, can I talk to you for a second, please?" Shelby asked when the kids came her way.

"We need to work on our project," Rachel answered without looking at her. She and Kurt brushed past the adults and went into the dining room.

Shelby stared sadly after her daughter, but Hiram and LeRoy were shaking their heads at the brush off.

"She really is mad at me," Shelby said forlornly as she looked back at the men. This was a Rachel she hadn't really seen before. Even when they'd muddled through the incident in New York, Rachel had never given her the cold shoulder.

"Stop that," LeRoy said. "You haven't done anything wrong. She's being a brat and if her classmates weren't here, it would stop right now. Let them finish their project and then we will talk to her."

"I can't believe she thinks I don't want to spend any time with her." Shelby's eyes watered as she looked back into the dining room and watched Rachel and Kurt find their seats at the table.

"I promise you that this will be ok," Hiram said as he took Shelby's hand and moved her away from the dining room. "She's a mess of jumbled emotions right now and we will sort it out later. Let's let them finish the project so we can get on with the day."

Shelby nodded and followed the men out of the kitchen and left the kids to work.

The kids worked silently for a few minutes until Kurt awkwardly broke the ice so that the entire thing could actually get accomplished. They were finishing up when the girls finally got around to saying something to Rachel. Santana and Quinn weren't oblivious and they saw how Rachel had been acting since they'd been there. And it's not like they hadn't seen their fair share of Rachel Berry storm outs before. But, believe it or not, Shelby's words were resonating with them. They'd seen Rachel bullied constantly and still be able to hold her head higher than it was earlier. Yeah, the girl was pissed, but it's not like they couldn't recognize her hurt as well.

Rachel was working on a bibliography when Quinn spoke up.

"You know, we really didn't know your mom would be here when we became partners."

Santana rolled her eyes and Rachel only nodded without bothering to look up from her paper.

"Yeah. And who knows, we may have ended up working at your house anyway," Santana added.

"So," Rachel said. She still wouldn't look up.

"But we did chose to come here because you said your mom would be here," Quinn finished for Santana.

Rachel's head shot up and she looked at Quinn and Santana incredulously. "You used me and this stupid project to get to hang out with my mom?"

That was the one element Rachel hadn't actually put together. She just thought that Quinn and Santana were being overly polite once they got there. And her mother didn't help at all by wanting to hang out with them the whole day. If there was ever a moment Kurt wanted to do a face palm, this was it.

"Are you serious right now?" Santana asked.

"I thought you came over to work on the project, not drool at the feet of my mother!" Rachel said. Her voice was starting to rise.

"We did come to work on the project," Quinn said. "It was just an added bonus that your mom was here."

"A bonus? How wonderful for you," Rachel's tone was laced with sarcasm and anger. "And for her, as it turned out. She loved getting to hang out with you too. I suppose it's too much to ask for anyone ever want to do something because of me."

"I'd like to punch you in the face. Does that count?" Santana asked. Here they were trying to apologize and the dwarf was mouthing off.

Quinn elbowed Santana in the ribs. "We did ask you and Kurt to be on our team before we knew anything about this.

"Guys, can we stop this now?" Kurt cut in. "We're pretty much done. We should call it a day."

"That's a great idea, Kurt," Rachel said. She stood up and turned to look back at the girls, "Don't forget to say goodbye to my mother on the way out. I'm sure she'd be upset if you left without saying goodbye."

The parents could hear that voices were raised in the other room, but they couldn't make out what was being said.

"Should we go in there?" Shelby asked.

Hiram shook his head as LeRoy answered.

"Let them work it out," LeRoy said. A few raised voices would probably solve much more than a storm out would.

Quinn rolled her eyes and looked at Rachel. "Will you stop?"

"Yeah, just can it for a second," Santana said. "We talked with your mom and worked it out and all that crap."

"Worked what out?" Rachel asked sarcastically. "When you can come over and see her again?"

Kurt started to gather up the papers and books that had been laid out so he could put them away. Not long after the kids had first arrived, they appointed Kurt the keeper of the project and as such he would be taking everything home with him. He moved some drinks, Rachel's barely touched glass of orange juice, two waters, and a Sprite, out of the way so he could slide everything past the yelling girls. He had a feeling things were going to get worse before they got better.

"It's bad enough you're a bitch all day long to me in school," Rachel continued, "but do you seriously have to come to my house and do it too?"

"Shut up, you troll!" Santana yelled back. "If you could learn to not be self-centered for even just a second you would know that were trying to apologize, but you can kiss my ass on that now. I'm not sorry I got to meet your mom and got to talk to her. It's actually kind of amazing that you're her spawn since you're nothing alike. It must suck for her to have to fly back to this stupid town all the time to see you. I'm sure she'd rather stay in New York."

Santana's words were spoken in anger without much thought and she couldn't help the satisfied smirk that played on her lips when Rachel's face registered with shock and hurt. Santana had cut right to the heart of Rachel's insecurities, especially that day. She reacted quickly and before any of them knew what was happening, Rachel had picked up her full glass of orange juice and thrown its contents on Santana in the same way slushies were always thrown on her.

Santana gasped when the cool, sticky liquid hit her face and soaked her shirt. The juice dripped down her and onto the chair and floor. Rachel was too shocked with what she had done to even put the cup back down.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" Rachel mocked when Santana opened her eyes and looked at her.

Quinn and Kurt's eyes were wide and they were speechless at what had just happened. It only took a couple seconds for the anger to explode from Santana.

"I'm going to kill you!" she screamed as she got up so fast she knocked her chair over.

Santana could be heard loud and clear throughout the house and all three parents were on their feet in an instant.

Santana grabbed the front of Rachel's shirt and pushed her back into the wall. She balled her fist and it made contact with Rachel's face a second later and it was only then that the girl dropped the empty cup in her hand.

"Stop!" Kurt yelled as he jumped to his feet to try and help.

Quinn got up and backed out of the way and unconsciously put a protective hand over her belly.

Santana reached back for a second hit, but felt herself being pulled away and she realized that one of Rachel's fathers was holding her back.

"Stop it this instant!" LeRoy's voiced boomed through the room and everything stopped.

Rachel was doing her very best not to cry despite her split lip and the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. The tears were in her eyes, but she just couldn't cry right now. She wouldn't. She clenched her fists in anger and stared at Santana who was staring right back at her. Hiram was holding Santana even though she had stopped trying to break his grasp. Shelby was standing by Rachel and wore an expression of concern and disbelief.

"I want an explanation and I want it now," LeRoy said seriously.

Both girls narrowed their eyes at the other and pointed before sharing the same sentiment.

"She started it!"

**A/N – That's all for this chapter. Again, I'm so very sorry about the delay. I really did try to get this chapter posted sooner than this. I hope you guys like this one. If you can, please leave me a review and let me know. Thanks! **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N – I know I'm a broken record, but sorry about the delay. And thank you so much for all of the reviews and for reading and for all of your support. You guys are so wonderful and I appreciate you all so much. You really have no idea how much it all means to me. Thank you, thank you. I hope everyone likes this chapter. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

There was a short moment of silence as everyone stared at each other after Santana had been restrained and the girls accused the other of starting the altercation. Rachel and Santana were glaring at each other with narrowed eyes and they were both worked up and breathing hard because of adrenaline. Rachel was still doing her very best not to cry in front of everyone even though her lip hurt like crazy. She could tell it was still bleeding. Shelby was standing close to her and had placed her hand on her back. Rachel could feel her mother's eyes on her, but she didn't chance to look over at her in case she saw either anger or concern, both of which would probably cause her tears to flow.

Santana relaxed a bit in Hiram's grasp and she knew he wasn't holding her tightly. But she also knew that she needed to get it together because as angry as she might be, she'd never be able to retaliate again right now. And she wasn't stupid; she'd just punched Rachel Berry in the face in the girl's own house. That shit was never going to fly with her parents even if she was standing there covered in orange juice. And somehow she just knew that her mother was going to find out about this. Santana also realized her hand was quite sore and she unconsciously flexed it a few times.

Shelby hadn't taken her eyes off of Rachel since she, Hiram, and LeRoy ran into the room. She could tell that Rachel was trying not to cry and she wanted nothing more than to make her daughter stop hurting. There was blood on her lip and clearly in her mouth and Shelby tried to keep herself cool. She'd never felt anything like this. Her heart was racing at the idea that Rachel might be hurt. Did she need to go to the hospital? Did she need stitches? Were her teeth ok? Shelby had missed out of fifteen years of bumps and bruises and skinned knees and one dancing mishap that required stitches and, just as Rachel was trying not to cry, Shelby was trying not to lose it like some crazy new mother in front of everyone. She suddenly understood Shirley MacLaine's character in _Terms of Endearment_ so much better.

"Now," LeRoy said, "I'm going to ask again. "What is going on?"

That's when the silence ended and all four kids started to talk at once. Rachel and Santana started to point at each other as each girl tried to tell their side of what had happened. Kurt was recounting everything he had seen go down seemingly from the moment they arrived and Quinn stood up straight and did her best to be heard over the crowd. She couldn't quite believe that they had reached this point because she and Santana had talked briefly after their talk with Shelby and agreed to apologize to Rachel. She didn't want to be Rachel's best friend or anything, but she could see why they were in the wrong. But of course, leave it to Santana to let her mouth run away with her. Quinn still couldn't believe Rachel had actually thrown the glass of juice like that. She'd seen her get hit with countless slushies and she never did anything to retaliate.

Shelby took her eyes off of Rachel for a second to look around the room at the other equally loud teenagers and finally at Hiram and LeRoy who both wore expressions of irritation and increasing anger. She sure hoped they knew what to do about this. Her focus returned to Rachel when she heard her daughter mention being able to taste the blood in her mouth. Her poor baby.

Shelby closed her eyes for a second and silently told herself to get it together. It was just a split lip and Rachel was fine. She wondered for a second if this was how her mother felt when she came home with a split lip when she was twelve. Doubtful, Shelby frowned. She was cleaned up by the time she got home and she only remembered her mother being angry.

LeRoy turned and looked over at Kurt and Quinn and then back over at Shelby who was watching Rachel intently. He looked at her split lip and figured it couldn't be that bad at the moment if the girl was able to stand there and argue without any problems. It would sting later, he knew. LeRoy then turned his head and looked at Hiram who looked like he was trying to decipher what was being said. He had heard Santana say something about Rachel throwing the orange juice all over her and at least now he knew what it was. Quinn was saying something about their project and Kurt was doing his best to make sure everyone knew that he was innocent in this whole situation. They weren't getting anywhere.

"Ok, enough. Enough!" Hiram said above all of the kids and the chatter instantly died down. "We are not going to stand here and yell at each other. You two are going to get cleaned up and we are going to talk about all of this calmly."

Santana looked over at Rachel and saw the girl was nodding and so, despite her annoyance and anger, she followed her lead.

"Good," Hiram said. "Santana, you can use the bathroom down here to clean up. Rachel, you can go upstairs. You two," he pointed at Kurt and Quinn, "sit down at the table and wait."

"Santana, I want your phone number so I can call your house and talk to one of your parents," LeRoy said when the kids started to move.

Santana looked over at Quinn and Kurt who were both looking back at her wide-eyed. Quinn shrugged and exchanged a glance with Kurt as they sat down at the table. Santana relented and followed the others into the kitchen where she gave LeRoy her number before disappearing into the bathroom.

"I'm going to clean up the mess of orange juice," Hiram said.

"I'll call Santana's house and then get Rachel cleaned up," LeRoy responded.

"I can help Rachel," Shelby spoke up.

"You sure?" Leroy asked.

"Of course," Shelby told them. "I can handle one split lip."

"Everything you'll need is in our bathroom," LeRoy told her.

"Come on, Rach," Shelby said as she put a hand on the girl's back and led her out of the room and up the stairs.

Rachel glumly took a seat on the closed toilet seat in her fathers' bathroom and she watched as her mother gathered up supplies and set them on the counter. She groaned when she saw a bottle of peroxide. Shelby filled up a glass with water and handed it to her daughter.

"Here, rinse your mouth out," Shelby instructed.

Rachel carefully took a sip and eyed her mother as she let the water slosh around in her mouth. She was torn between still being angry and wanting to be taken care of. She wanted to sulk, but she wanted a hug and she wasn't quite sure yet which would win. Maybe she'd wait and determine how mad her mother might be first. It wasn't fair though. She was mad first. Stupid Santana. This was all her fault.

"Ow," Rachel muttered after she spit into the sink and saw some of the blood.

"Sit back down and let's stop the bleeding," Shelby said.

Shelby gently pressed a clean wash cloth to Rachel's lip and winced with her when Rachel reacted to the pain.

"Are you ok otherwise?" Shelby asked. "You didn't get hit anywhere else, did you?"

"No," Rachel said.

"What happened down there?" Shelby asked as she sat down on the edge of the bathtub and let Rachel take over holding the wash cloth to her lip.

"Santana said something I didn't like," Rachel answered.

"So you threw a cup of juice in her face?" Shelby frowned.

"She deserved it," Rachel said. "And it's not like she's never been right there laughing when people throw slushies at me."

Shelby nodded and then ran a soothing hand over Rachel's arm. "What did she say?"

Rachel looked over at Shelby and then let her eyes fall to her lap. She couldn't tell her mother what Santana had said. She couldn't tell anyone. She couldn't say it out loud because of the fear that it might be true.

"Nothing," Rachel said.

"It can't have been nothing," Shelby said. "You can talk to me, Rachel."

"It was just a stupid argument," Rachel said. "It's over now."

Shelby stared at her intently for a few seconds hoping that Rachel would lift her gaze and look at her. She wanted nothing more than to make her feel better, but she couldn't address it if she didn't know what was said. She couldn't believe Santana did this though after they had just talked about it. She hoped the girl's parents could get through to her and was glad LeRoy was calling them.

"Let me see," Shelby said. She figured it was best to change the subject for now. Plus, the lip needed to be cleaned out. The details would be worked out soon enough.

Rachel moved the wash cloth at Shelby's coaxing and let her mom look over the cut on the right side of her bottom lip. She could tell that it had stopped bleeding.

"It doesn't look too bad," Shelby said. "And it's nothing compared to the bloody lip I came home with one time." Her eyes sparkled when she realized that had captured Rachel's attention and the girl finally looked up to meet her eyes.

"You got hit in the face one time too?" Rachel asked. "What kind of fight was it? Did you win? How old were you?"

Shelby was amused that the girl who was just so reticent was now rattling off a bunch of questions. She moved over to the sink to start getting some peroxide to clean Rachel's lip as she started her tale.

"I was twelve," Shelby started, "and I wasn't in a fight."

"How'd you get a bloody lip if you weren't in a fight?" Rachel asked.

Shelby picked up a clean wash cloth and ran it under the cool water and then wrung it out. She then picked up the bottle of peroxide and held the cloth over the opening and tipped it a couple times. She knew the wet cloth would help dilute the peroxide some.

"I was riding my bike and my best friend Elizabeth was riding on the handlebars," Shelby said.

"Is this the same best friend you hitchhiked to the New Kids on the Block concert with?" Rachel asked. She was doing her best to delay having to put any peroxide on her cut.

"Yep, she's the same one," Shelby answered. "She and I met the first day of pre-school and we've been friends ever since."

Shelby sat back down on the edge of the tub and scooted as close to Rachel as she could get. She held up the cloth, but Rachel tried to inch away and leaned back.

"Wow," Rachel said. "You've known her a really long time."

"Yes, I have," Shelby confirmed. "Come here."

"What happened when you got your bloody lip?" Rachel asked. She shook her head at her mother.

"I will tell you," Shelby said. "While we clean that cut."

Shelby gently pulled Rachel closer to her and put the wash cloth to her lip and looked at her sympathetically when the girl hissed and pulled away. Shelby persisted and held the cloth back on her lip.

"Mommy, that hurts," Rachel whined and pouted and a few of her pent up tears finally made their way down her cheeks.

"I know, baby," Shelby said and then held back her tears of her own. Rachel had just called her mommy. Shelby would never forget what that sounded like. The mixture of hurt and annoyance and childish whining would always sound perfect because this was her first time hearing that name spoken by her little girl. She was a mommy. Shelby stood up some and kissed Rachel's head and then sat back down on the tub.

Rachel, for her part, didn't even realize what she'd done. The word daddy fell from her lips so often when she was hurt or whining or pouting. Even Hiram, who was usually just Dad, got the daddy treatment in times like this. In this moment, Rachel even forgot that she was angry with her mother.

"So what happened?" Rachel asked with the cloth still on her lip. "On the bike?"

"Oh yeah," Shelby smiled and went back to her story. "Her mom didn't like when we would ride each other around on our handlebars. She said that we were going to fall and get hurt. But everyone did that. We didn't have to wear helmets or anything like that back then. And Elizabeth and I did it all the time. We just tried to make sure her mom didn't see us."

Rachel nodded along. Well of course.

"So we were riding and we were goofing off and both trying to dance because I was singing and we lost our balance and fell," Shelby continued. "It was the summer and so we were both in shorts and she got scraped hands and elbows and I got a bad skinned knee and I hit just right and busted my lip. My bottom lip just like yours is now. Let's see."

"That must have really hurt," Rachel said as Shelby took the wash cloth away.

"It did. A lot," Shelby confirmed. "We were both crying as we walked back to her house. Come over here and let's rinse your lip and mouth."

Shelby poured some more water into the cup and Rachel stood up next to her at the sink. She rinsed off her lip and filled the cup again to clean out her mouth once more. Shelby instructed her to pat it dry when she was done.

"Did her mom clean you up like this?" Rachel asked.

"Yep," Shelby said. "She calmed us down and cleaned us up and got us Band-Aids and we were patched up in no time."

"She sounds really nice, you friend's mom," Rachel said.

"Marie. She was and is," Shelby said with a smile. "And after she cleaned us up and made sure we were ok, she gave us each three swats – that's when you knew she meant business – and put us in the corner for ten minutes for riding with a person on the handlebar."

Rachel's smile faded at the outcome and her pout returned. She did not want to get in trouble after all of this. Shelby noticed the change and put an arm around Rachel and squeezed her reassuringly. She was about to ask about the altercation with Santana again, but LeRoy poked his head in the bathroom and got their attention.

"Everything ok?" LeRoy asked.

"Yep," Shelby told him. "It's not too bad and it's all cleaned up."

"Ok, good," LeRoy nodded. "Santana's mother is on her way over. Come on back down whenever you're ready. I was just wanted to make sure you guys were ok."

"We're good. And we're right behind you," Shelby said. "Come on, sweetheart."

Rachel scowled and let her mother lead her out of the room and back down to the dining room where everyone else was gathered. Santana was sitting next to Quinn who was sitting next to Kurt and all three were silent as they watched Shelby and Rachel walk back into the room. Shelby directed Rachel to her own chair to sit in and Rachel shot a glare over at Santana as she sat down. Santana narrowed her eyes, but a light nudging from Quinn with her elbow made Santana stop. Her left hand was resting on the table and there was a towel and a bag of ice over it. Hiram had given that to her when she came back from cleaning herself up and he handed Rachel the same thing and instructed her to put it on her lip. It was swelling already.

Maribel Lopez found the Berry's house without any problem and she grabbed the bag with Santana's clothes and hurried towards the front door. A call from LeRoy Berry asking her to come over with a change of clothes for Santana was not something she'd been expecting that day. Her eyes had narrowed when he told her there had been some sort of fight between Santana and Rachel. When she'd told Santana to behave that morning, getting into a fight and punching a girl in her own house was not what she meant. She might just ground her. Forever.

Hiram answered the door for Maribel when she rang the bell and he directed her to the dining room where everyone was gathered. She took in the sight of the girls with their ice bags and shook her head. Santana had purposefully not raised her head to look at her mother.

"This is my husband LeRoy," Hiram started to make introductions. "This is our daughter Rachel and her mother Shelby. And I'm sure you know Quinn. And that is Kurt Hummel."

"It's nice to meet you all," Maribel said as she shook hands with LeRoy and Shelby. "Santana was excited to get to meet you."

Santana groaned and Rachel scoffed and sat up straighter and leveled her glare at Santana once more. Maribel looked over at Santana and dropped her smile.

"Are you ok, Santana?" Maribel asked. "I brought you some clothes. Would you like to change?"

"No, I'm fine," Santana said. She didn't want to drag this out any longer than it needed to be.

"Are you ok?" Maribel asked Rachel as she took a seat next to Santana.

Rachel didn't want to acknowledge her, but she nodded anyway. Whether she knew it or not, she agreed with Santana and she wanted to get this whole thing over with.

"What happened exactly?" Maribel asked.

"We have been trying to figure that out ourselves," LeRoy answered. "But we haven't gotten very far."

"Santana, what happened?" Maribel demanded to know. She wasn't going to beat around the bush here.

"She tossed her orange juice in my face so I punched her," Santana answered.

"I didn't just throw a drink at you," Rachel retaliated. "You used me and stole my mom and said horrible things!"

"I didn't use you," Santana yelled back. "And if you could have shut up for one second you would have known that I was trying to apologize."

"Some apology," Rachel retorted.

As the girls continued to argue back and forth Shelby looked over at Hiram and then at LeRoy and it was clear they had heard it too. What the hell did Rachel mean when she said Santana stole her mom?

"Whoa, stop!" Maribel said and the girls quieted. "That's enough. We're not here to argue back and forth, we are here to find out what happened. I want the truth and I want it now."

Every kid in the room sank down a little in their chairs at Maribel's tone. Even Kurt wouldn't look up and he hadn't been involved in the fight at all. Hiram glanced over at LeRoy and they shared a smile. They like Mrs. Lopez.

"Santana," Maribel said again when she didn't get a response.

"We knew Shelby Corcoran would be here when we picked a place to work on our project," Santana answered. She kept her gaze directed down at the table.

"But we didn't know she would be here when we formed the group to work on the project," Quinn added. "But Rachel mentioned that her mom would be here when we wanted to do the work so we decided to meet here."

"So you could get close to Shelby Corcoran because she's a star?" Maribel asked. Santana and Quinn both nodded.

Shelby shook her head from her spot standing behind Rachel. She hated when people used her full name while she was right there in the room.

Maribel eyed the two girls and gave them both reproachful looks. She had known Quinn since the girls were in elementary school. She had known of Rachel and Kurt too, but she'd never interacted with them until now.

"I'm sorry," Maribel said as she turned to look at Shelby. "They both should know better than that."

Maribel had to admit, she was a little star struck. Shelby Corcoran was standing right here and it was very cool, but she knew she couldn't focus on that right now. She had to see and talk to Shelby as a parent.

"We already talked about it," Shelby said. "I talked to Quinn and Santana privately about them coming over here and using the project as a way to get to see me. I explained to them that I would be around to see Rachel all the time and that we'd probably see each other again at competitions and stuff like that, but that I would not want to be around them if they continued to use my daughter. I thought they were going to apologize to Rachel so we were surprised when there was a fight instead."

"Santana!" Maribel scolded.

"It's not like she's completely innocent, you know," Santana defended herself. "Quinn and I tried to apologize and she wouldn't listen."

"Whatever, Santana," Rachel laughed bitterly. "Quinn at least tried to apologize. You just wanted to be a bit-"

"Rachel!" LeRoy cut her off.

Rachel recognized the harsh reprimand and wisely kept her mouth shut. Shelby did not want to things to dissolve any farther between the girls and so she took a seat next to Rachel and looked over at Maribel and Santana.

"When I was cleaning her lip upstairs, Rachel said that you said something she didn't like," Shelby said. "What did you say?"

"It was nothing," Rachel said. She wore a deep frown as she kept her gaze down on the table. "I just didn't like how she was talking and I got fed up and threw the drink. It happens to me all the time so it just seemed natural."

"What happens to you all the time?" Maribel asked. "Drinks being thrown in your face? By who?"

Santana and Quinn both looked down at their hands and fidgeted in the chair under the unrelenting gaze of Maribel Lopez when she turned and looked at them.

"You throw your drinks at other people?" Maribel demanded to know.

"Frozen slushies," Rachel was more than happy to supply but quieted again when Shelby popped her leg lightly.

"I've never thrown one at her," Santana mumbled and Quinn nodded when Maribel moved her eyes to look at the blonde.

"But let me guess, you know who does," Maribel said.

Both girls nodded.

"And I bet you think it's funny," Maribel continued. The girls' silence was enough for Maribel and she gave Santana a hard stare. "You watch people get assaulted like that and you think it's funny? You've watched people throw drinks at Rachel and you stand around and laugh? Both of you should be ashamed."

Quinn and Santana only slightly nodded and Rachel's eyes shown with victory. Oh how she wanted to laugh at them and their predicament. This public scolding served them right and Rachel was going to relish in it. She darted her eyes to Kurt and saw that he too was enjoying this moment.

Maribel turned and looked at Hiram and LeRoy in turn and then at Shelby.

"I am so sorry that my daughter ever participated in something like that," Maribel said. "I'll apologize on behalf of Quinn's parents too though I'm afraid they'd never do it on their own."

Quinn scoffed and looked away and brought her hand to her belly and rested it there. Her parents would never step foot in the Berry's house.

"Thank you," Hiram said. "It was mostly a group of boys that was doing it and it has been taken care of and the slushie machine has been removed from the school. But Rachel should have known better than to throw a drink in someone's face like that. Especially because she knows how terrible it feels. And we will be speaking to her about it."

Rachel sank down in her seat some more. She liked this so much more when it was Quinn and Santana getting scolded and not her.

"Santana and I will be speaking as well," Maribel said ominously. "And you can include Quinn in that. Now. Santana, I'm done playing games. What did you say to her?"

Santana took a long breath and shifted the ice on her hand before finally answering the question. She didn't see Rachel pleading with her eyes not to say what she really said.

"Quinn and I started to apologize, but she kept cutting in and wouldn't listen," Santana said. "Then she got all crazy and started ranting about how nice it must be for us to get to see her mom and she was just being annoying. She'd been an annoying brat all day. I don't know what her big problem was or why she was so angry, but she stormed off and that's when Shelby talked to us about why we were there. We really did get the project finished. Anyway, she came back and we tried to apologize and we started arguing instead."

"What did you say?" Maribel asked again. She knew her daughter and recognized that Santana was avoiding the biggest part.

"I told her that it was amazing that she was Shelby Corcoran's kid since they're nothing alike and Shelby must hate to have to fly all the way out here to be with her when she'd rather be in New York."

Santana said it quickly like if she rushed no one would actually hear it. Shelby gasped and looked at Rachel who was staring at the table so intently it looked as if she was trying to put a hole in it with her eyes. Hiram and LeRoy both shut their eyes in frustration and understanding and looked down at their little daughter with sympathy. They wished children were able to grasp the cruelty of their words.

For her part, Maribel Lopez was angry. And Santana knew it. She refused to meet her mother's gaze even though the woman was staring daggers at her.

"Santana Lopez, how dare you say that to her!" Maribel chastised. "That was mean and spiteful and totally uncalled for. That's when she threw the drink, right?" Santana nodded, but barely. "And then you punched her in the face."

"Yes," Santana squeaked out. She knew better than to try and get away with any smart comments when her mother was this angry.

"Apologize to her right now," Maribel ordered. "And to her parents."

Santana was mortified, but she did what she was told.

"I'm sorry, Rachel." She moved on when Rachel wouldn't meet her gaze or acknowledge her words. "I'm sorry," Santana said to Hiram and LeRoy who nodded and accepted. Santana then looked at Shelby who was still looking at Rachel.

"Ms. Corcoran, I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it," Santana said.

"Thank you, Santana," Shelby said.

"I apologize as well, to all of you," Maribel said. "This won't happen again."

"Thank you," Leroy said.

The meeting quickly wrapped up when the true story behind the fight was revealed. Rachel didn't move from her spot and she didn't say anything as people started to get up from the table. Shelby kissed her head as she stood up to walk with Hiram and LeRoy to the door to see everyone out.

"See you later, Rachel," Kurt said. He had lingered behind so he could talk to her. "It's not true. What Santana said."

"Yeah," was Rachel's only response.

"I'll talk to you later," Kurt said before leaving the room.

"Bye, Kurt," Shelby said when the boy got to the door. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye," Kurt said and then smiled when Shelby pulled him into a hug.

Rachel had waited until everyone was out of the room and by the front door to make her escape. She dropped the ice and towel on the table and left her place at the table. She quickly made her way to her room and shut herself in and then crawled into bed and hid under the blankets. She did not want to have to talk about this anymore today, but she knew it was just a matter of time before her one or all of her parents found her.

Shelby walked back to the dining room and sighed when she noticed that Rachel was gone. She needed to talk to her and really get inside her head. She hated that it seemed like Rachel believed what Santana had said.

"She's not here," Shelby said when Hiram and LeRoy appeared at her side.

"She's in her room," Hiram said. "Trying to avoid us."

"She can't possibly think any of that is true, can she?" Shelby asked. Her tone was almost desperate. "Why would she believe that?"

"Shelby, for all of her confidence about performing, Rachel can be very insecure," LeRoy said. "And things like that take their toll. I'm not sure exactly what she's thinking about, but she said Santana stole you. That might help explain her mood all day."

"Let's go up and talk to her," Hiram said.

Rachel wiped a tear from her eye when she heard a knock on her door. She knew they'd be up to talk, but she didn't really want to right now. She wasn't in the mood to be in trouble after everything else that had happened. She was all the way under her blankets and she snuggled down farther into the bed and didn't say anything.

"Rach," Hiram said as he opened the door slightly and peeked in. "Sweetheart?"

The other two parents followed him into the room and it wasn't hard to tell where Rachel was hiding. LeRoy went to the bed and took the pile of blankets and pulled it back. Rachel whined when her covers were gone and she curled herself into an even smaller ball.

"Sit up and let's have a talk," LeRoy said.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Rachel said into her pillow.

"Rachel, please," Shelby said.

"Come on, sweetheart, sit up," Hiram said. He leaned over and patted Rachel's jean covered leg.

Rachel reluctantly rolled over and sat up on the bed and crossed her legs. She folded her hands in her lap and kept her eyes trained on them.

"Rachel, first of all, nothing Santana said down there is true," LeRoy said. "She was being nasty in an attempt to get under your skin and it worked."

"I love you, Rachel," Shelby said. "Of course I want to be here in Lima with you. Or I want to see you in New York. Or anywhere you are. You mean everything to me."

"But you always like hanging out with other people more," Rachel said, finally looking up. "With Brian and now stupid Santana and Quinn. I can't compete with them. They're prettier and popular and they love the sweatshirt on you but they joke me when I wear it. And of course you'd rather talk to them than me." Her emotions were running high now and tears of frustration and anger, hurt and wounded pride started to make their way down her face. "We were supposed to be working on our project, but you kept talking to them. And how am I ever supposed to get more friends of my own when all they really care about is my mom? They didn't want to see me or care about how I felt. Kurt doesn't count because he's as much a loser as I am."

Rachel furiously wiped at her tears and looked away from them. Shelby's mouth fell open in shock and worked to try and figure out what to say. Rachel was jealous and Shelby hated that she was the reason for Rachel's attitude that day. But her daughter was so far off the mark and Shelby planned to rectify that. Before Hiram or LeRoy could say anything, Shelby crouched down in front of Rachel and took her by the arms.

"Look at me," Shelby ordered. "Rachel, look at me."

Rachel sniffed and finally looked down at her mother.

"You, young lady, are not a loser," Shelby said. "And you are not in competition with Santana or Quinn or anyone else. You are my daughter and I love you more than you can possibly imagine. I am sorry if you felt like I was intruding. I was trying to help. I love history and your project was fascinating. And do you know how cool it is for me to get to help my kid with her homework?"

"But you weren't even talking to me," Rachel pointed out.

"Yes we were," Rachel. "We were trying and you did not want to have anything to do with what was going on. You were angry before anyone else got here."

"I was mad that our time was being taken up again," Rachel said. "It's never just us."

Shelby sighed and rubbed Rachel's arm soothingly. "We will work it out where it's just us, I swear. But honey, life doesn't always allow for that. You had schoolwork and you cannot skip any of that just because I'm here."

"It should," Rachel pouted.

Shelby chuckled as she stood back up and pulled Rachel up with her so she could give the girl a hug.

"Everything that Santana said is not true, do you understand me?" Shelby asked.

Rachel nodded and wiped at her eyes again.

"I love you so much," Shelby told her.

"I love you too," Rachel said.

"Now, let's talk about what happened today," LeRoy said. "You should not have thrown your juice on her."

"But I was just so mad," Rachel defended herself. "And you heard her and saw how she acted. It's not my fault she was being such a bitch."

The word was out before she could stop herself and Hiram and reached out and took her arm and turned her and dutifully landed two stinging swats to her backside and then let her go. Rachel's face was bright red when she turned back around and tears of embarrassment pricked at her eyes and she refused to look over at Shelby.

"That is enough with the swearing," Hiram said. "I've heard quite enough of that from you today."

Rachel's blush reached all the way up to her ears and she nodded slightly in response. Shelby wanted to smile at Rachel's reaction, but she kept her face neutral. How many times had Marie gotten onto her and Elizabeth for the same thing? She thought back to how she had handled Rachel running out of her apartment building and she understood it a little more. Rachel was not allowed to do and say whatever she pleased and as her parent it was her job to remind her of that. She still had no idea how she'd handle something more serious than this. Sometimes, like now, she really thought she understood parenting and what she was doing. And other times she felt just as clueless as ever. Shelby wondered if that feeling was ever going to go away.

"Rachel, what I was trying to say is that you should not have thrown your juice because it is wrong and you know how that feels," LeRoy said. "You lower yourself to other people when you do something like that. But, I also want to say that we get it. I don't want to see it happen again, but we get it. You are allowed to have you emotions and you are allowed to react when put in that situation. But in the future I hope that you will try and take a step back and think things through before you act. As your split lip will tell you, rash reactions can come with unforeseen consequences. So promise me that next time you'll think before you act."

"I promise," Rachel said solemnly.

"Good girl," LeRoy said and he pulled Rachel to him and gave her a hug.

LeRoy and Hiram did not have unreal expectations for Rachel and they knew she was an overly emotional and dramatic fifteen-year-old girl. They'd be even more surprised if Rachel hadn't retaliated when faced with what Santana had said to her. The small lecture was also warranted in their eyes, but they were happy to let it go at that. Their daughter had been dealing with that crap for years and she was bound to fight back sooner or later. And it didn't look like Santana was going to get away with anything so maybe some good would come out of all of this for Rachel.

Hiram hugged her next and kissed her head.

"Sorry, Dad," Rachel apologized for her earlier language. She knew the rules.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Hiram. "I know you're angry, but you will not resort to swearing and name calling."

"Yes, sir," Rachel said.

The men soon left the room and Shelby pulled Rachel in for a long hug and rubbed her back. She then pulled back and tucked some hair behind Rachel's ear.

"Rachel, I love you and I don't want you to ever feel worried or jealous about me talking with or being with other people," Shelby said. "And if you are, please talk to me. Let's not have a repeat of today. No one will ever come between you and me."

"Ok," Rachel said. "Ok. Can we just hang out now? You and me?"

"Of course," Shelby said.

"Want to hear Barbra's newest album?" Rachel asked. "It's only been out a few weeks. I downloaded it immediately when it was released."

"Yeah!" Shelby said with an excited tone to match her daughter's.

Hiram and LeRoy returned to Rachel's room forty-five minutes later and found mother and daughter lying side-by-side in bed. They each had one ear bud in an ear to listen to Rachel's iPod, but they had both fallen asleep.

"Shelby," Hiram said softly. "Wake up."

"What?" Shelby said as she stretched and looked up. Had she fallen asleep?

Rachel woke up from the movement and talking and looked up at her dads and gave them a curious look. They were each carrying an overnight bag and were smiling down at the confused pair on the bed.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"We made reservations at a hotel for a couple nights," LeRoy said. "We're going to take off in a few minutes and we won't be back until Monday afternoon just before your mom has to leave."

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"We thought we'd give you two the run of the house for a little bit," Hiram said. "Just to enjoy your time."

"Really?" Rachel asked excitedly.

"Nonsense," Shelby said as she stood up from the bed and Rachel followed suit. "I can't kick you of your own house for two days."

"You didn't," Hiram said. "Maybe we wanted a couple days to ourselves." His tone was teasing and Shelby relented.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

Truth be told, Shelby had thought about getting a hotel room to take Rachel for a couple days, but she thought it would be better to stay at home. Things were different in hotels and she wanted to get to be right at home with Rachel. This gave her a chance just to be mom away from other people and away from New York. Shelby happily thought about how she gets to be the one to get Rachel off to school on Monday. It was that and tons of other little things that she was looking forward to.

"Our pleasure," LeRoy said. "Rachel, behave yourself. Shelby, don't let her get away with anything."

"And if you two break anything, please make sure it's replaced by the time we get back," Hiram added.

Five minutes later they were in their car and backing out of the driveway. Shelby pulled Rachel to her side and kissed her head. Even if it was just for a couple days, she was excited about the alone time with Rachel. She would never take this for granted.

"So?" Rachel asked with an excited glint in her eye. "What are we going to do first?"

**A/N – That's it for this one. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please, please leave me a review if you can and let me know. Your feedback is so appreciated and so helpful. I'd love to know what you guys would like to see next. **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N – Guys… I am so, so sorry for how this took me to write and get posted. I apologize profusely. After posting the last chapter of Changed for the Better, I needed a bit of a mental break. I did not plan on taking this long. Once I started back up with this, it took me a little bit to find my way. Writer's block was not kind and real life didn't want to cooperate. I hope you're all still out there and reading and will stick with me. A break that long shouldn't happen again. But please bear with me if it does. Thanks.**

**Thank you all so much for all of the wonderful messages and reviews. You all are so dear to me and your words and support mean so much. I don't think you guys will ever know how much. Thank you. **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

"Elizabeth, she's just wonderful," Shelby said to her best friend over the phone.

Hiram and LeRoy had been gone a few hours and after finishing a movie with her mom, Rachel had disappeared up to her room about twenty minutes ago. Shelby had been about to go and check on her when her phone rang and she was distracted.

"Mom still can't believe you didn't tell us," Elizabeth McCormack said.

"I didn't tell anyone," Shelby explained to her best friend again. She looked around to make sure Rachel wasn't nearby and said, "It was so hard as it was. I was doing my best to separate myself from her and I couldn't do it if everyone knew. I hoped that as I woke up in New York it would get easier but it never did."

"You've got her now though," Elizabeth said.

They'd been over all of the details and heartbreak in the last month and the woman knew that Shelby didn't need to do that again right now.

"Yeah, I do," Shelby said with a smile.

"Mom and I can't wait to meet her. Gavin and the twins are excited too," Elizabeth said _referring to her husband and nine year old son and daughter._

"I know," Shelby said. She couldn't wait either. Elizabeth and her mother Marie had always felt more like her family than her own parents and while Shelby had been reluctant to tell them, she'd spoken with her friends as soon as she could. "I told her about you guys and she seems interested. I've told her a couple of stories about us."

"Oh, I can only imagine what you've said," Elizabeth said.

"I'm sure it's nothing compared to what Mimi will tell her," Shelby spoke of Marie. As a three year old, Shelby had called her Miss Marie, but it morphed into Mimi along the way.

"She's going to love that," Elizabeth said. "You know how she likes to tell the kids about us."

Shelby laughed and thought about her godchildren Liam and Rose. She was excited to introduce Rachel to all of them, but after the events of the day, Shelby had to admit that she was worried about how the meeting would go between Rachel and the twins. To Liam and Rose she was just cool Aunt Shelby who showered them with gifts and love. But being a mom was completely different and, given the events of the day, Shelby wasn't sure how Rachel was going to act around them. The last thing she wanted was for Rachel to be jealous of them. She feared it may be even worse since these were kids she actually knew and loved and not some teenagers she'd just met. Shelby made a mental note to talk with Hiram and LeRoy about it so they could all talk with Rachel. This was one of those moments were Shelby felt like she was completely out of her league.

"So what are you guys doing this weekend?" Elizabeth asked, interrupting Shelby's thoughts.

"I'm not sure," Shelby said with a shrug. "We watched a moving and I'm planning to make dinner in a little while. I'm hoping we can cook together. She helped a little last night, but mostly just sat and talked with me."

"That can be even better than getting the help," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah," Shelby agreed with a smile. "I love just being around her. She went up to her room a little while ago because she said she needed to do something and I almost followed after her," Shelby admitted, "but I don't want to be overbearing or annoying. But I also don't want her to worry anymore."

"Worry? About what? What happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'll tell you about that later," Shelby said. "It's a long story."

"I understand," Elizabeth said.

A loud crash sounded throughout the house and Shelby quickly stood up from the couch.

"Elizabeth, I've got to go," Shelby said hurriedly. "I just heard a loud clang or something. I've got to find Rachel."

"Go on," Elizabeth laughed. "Go see what she's up to."

"She could be hurt," Shelby said trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "Rachel!"

"Bye, Mama," Elizabeth said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Shelby said, but she was distracted and didn't understand that she was being teased.

Shelby ended the call and moved towards the stairs and started to yell for Rachel again when she heard another crash. This time it sounded like it was coming from the kitchen. Shelby headed that way and saw that the door to the basement was open.

"Crap," Shelby heard Rachel say. When did Rachel go down to the basement? Shelby thought she was upstairs.

"Rach?" Shelby questioned as she went down the stairs. "Are you alri- Rachel!"

Shelby stopped short when she saw Rachel standing near the top of a set of shelving. The girl had climbed to the top to look for something and in the process had knocked over a couple of boxes and their contents were spilled out over the floor. Rachel didn't acknowledge her mother and just kept reaching for the box she wanted.

"Rachel, come down from there," Shelby instructed. "You're going to fall."

"No I'm not," Rachel brushed her off. "I've got to get something."

Rachel pushed up on her toes and leaned over the top shelf as far as she could reach and grabbed for the box she wanted and tugged it so she could pull it to her. Shelby positioned herself under Rachel and held her arms up; she was ready to catch her if she fell.

"I've got it," Rachel smiled at herself and pulled the box to the edge so she could drop it down. She stopped, though, when she saw Shelby right below her. This was a moment where she was really glad she had on jeans and not one of her skirts. "Watch out, Mom, I'm going to drop it."

"Why don't you just hand it to me," Shelby said. "You've already dropped enough stuff and it all needs to be picked up."

"I will," Rachel said. "Here."

Rachel handed the box to Shelby who placed it out of the way. She looked back over to find that Rachel had started to climb down. She quickly put her arms back up and then secured them around Rachel's waist when the girl was in reach.

"Mom," Rachel complained. "I've got it."

"Rachel, you could have fallen," Shelby scolded.

"I won't," Rachel said once her feet were back on the ground. "I climb up there all the time."

"Rachel!" Shelby admonished once again.

"Mom," Rachel whined, "it's fine."

"It's not fine," Shelby said. "I don't want you doing that anymore."

"But how else am I supposed to get something I need if it is so high up?" Rachel asked.

"You could wait and ask for help," Shelby suggested.

Rachel wanted to roll her eyes, but she resisted. This was not a big deal and she should not be getting scolded right now.

"If I'm home alone and need something I have to climb up there," Rachel sassed lightly. She thought she was being clever and getting one over on her mother who just clearly didn't get it.

"You better not be climbing up there if you're home alone," Shelby said sternly and put her hands on her hips.

"Mom," Rachel whined again, "I'm not."

"I'm sure your fathers wouldn't like it and neither do I," Shelby told her. "You could fall and seriously hurt yourself."

Rachel pouted and shifted from foot to foot. She did not like this one bit. Her mother hadn't been this stern with her since she'd stormed out of the apartment and into the cold when they were in New York. It was still kind of weird to get used to having another authority figure in her life. Shelby was her mother and that's what she wanted, but it wasn't an easy adjustment. She didn't want to be in trouble with Shelby any more than she wanted to be in trouble with her dads, but it was different with her mom. She knew more of what to expect with her fathers and that made it more familiar and easier to deal with. They wouldn't have even really let her argue back in this situation; they would have said no and that would have been that. But Shelby was different and Rachel was going to do her best to talk herself out of this. She wanted to be back on Shelby's good side and for the lectures to stop.

"Don't tell my dads," Rachel pouted and looked at Shelby with big eyes.

Shelby sighed and pulled Rachel close to her and kissed her head. Rachel smirked and rested her chin on her mother's shoulder and let herself be held. Her big eyes seemed to work a lot better on her mom than they usually did on her dads.

"Sweetie, if I find out about you doing this again, your fathers will be the least of your worries," Shelby said sweetly and smiled when Rachel stiffened in her arms. Think on that, baby girl.

Shelby found that she was more confident in herself when Hiram and LeRoy weren't around. She deferred to them when they were here even though she was certain they would tell her she didn't need to. She would get there, she told herself. She was getting there.

"Ok, young lady, you've got a mess to clean up," Shelby said.

"Will you help me?" Rachel asked with a pathetic pout as she stood back from her mother. She was going to win some points somehow.

"Of course," Shelby replied.

Rachel leaned down and righted one of the fallen boxes before crouching down next to it and picking up some of the spilled items. A smile lit up her face when she realized what box it was.

"Look," Rachel said. She sat down on the floor and held the little garment up for her mother to see. "This is what I wore home from the hospital when I was born. And here's a little pair of shoes."

"Oh," Shelby said, her voice full of wonder as she sat down next to Rachel. "Look how tiny; you were so little. I gained all that weight and you only weighed five pounds eleven ounces."

"Sorry," Rachel giggled.

"You had such expressive eyes, especially for a baby that young," Shelby said. "You looked right at me the whole time I held you. You held onto my finger while you nursed and even then you wouldn't take your eyes off of me. I didn't want you to fall asleep because I knew I'd be leaving not long after that."

"Was that the only time you held me?" Rachel asked softly. Her chin was trembling and she was trying not to cry. She hadn't even realized it until she tried to talk.

"Oh honey," Shelby said as she put her arms around Rachel and rubbed her back. "Don't cry. Yes, that's the only time I held you. But it was the most precious moment of my life. I will always remember what you felt like in my arms. But let's not dwell on that now." She didn't want them to spend the evening crying over things that couldn't be changed. "Let's finish putting this all away and then you can show what's so important that you had to have that box right now."

Rachel did roll her eyes this time even as she was wiping away some of the unshed tears.

"Climbing up there is how I found out about you, you know," Rachel said. "I was trying to get my suitcases and I fe- slipped and knocked the lockbox down and it opened."

"You fell," Shelby corrected with a pointed look.

"But it helped me find you," Rachel said sweetly.

"I will give you that one," Shelby conceded and Rachel grinned smugly. "But if I hear about you doing it again, I'm going to come back here and kick your butt." Shelby's tone was light and they both laughed at the joke.

"I want to take that one upstairs," Rachel said, "but I've got to put these other ones back first. Can you hand them to me?"

Shelby was confused for a second as Rachel reached for the shelves again and pulled herself up onto the lowest one. She laughed at Rachel's cheeky expression, but she wasn't about to let her get any higher than that.

"Don't you dare," Shelby said with a laugh and grabbed Rachel around the waist and brought her back down to solid ground.

"But Mom," Rachel whined again, playing her part.

"No, ma'am," Shelby said. She turned Rachel towards the box she wanted and gave her a couple of gentle pats on her backside. "Go on."

Rachel picked up the box with some effort and carried it up the stairs with Shelby close on her heels. She set it down and then took a seat on the couch and smiled when her mother plopped down next to her.

"So, what's so important in that box?" Shelby asked.

"I have an idea for what we can do tonight and tomorrow," Rachel said.

"Oh?" Shelby questioned. "What?"

"We can put on a show," Rachel declared. "I've got a ton of props and costume stuff in this box and we can use whatever's around the house too. We can do some songs and some skits. We can put it all together and rehearse it and show my dads when they come home."

Shelby smiled at Rachel's eagerness. "That sounds like fun."

"Really? You don't think it sounds stupid?" Rachel asked.

"No, of course not," Shelby answered. "Elizabeth and a few friends and I used to put on shows all the time growing up."

"Even when you were as old as me?" Rachel asked.

Shelby laughed. "Yes, even when we were as ancient as fifteen. There's nothing wrong with wanting to play."

"And you can give me so many good pointers and tips," Rachel gushed. "I was thinking of trying to record it so that I have something to reference later on."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Shelby said. "Let's focus on playing and not a workshop."

"But a workshop sounds like so much fun!" Rachel said. "I can't wait to do my first one."

Shelby laughed and nodded and recognized a younger version of herself sitting there. She imagined that she must have said something just like that once upon a time. But even now, she couldn't deny it. Workshops were fun. The creative process was amazing and she loved that Rachel wanted to take part in that, even if what Shelby was looking forward to the most was getting to play with her daughter.

"Let's see what we've got in the box," Shelby said. "Then we can work on a set list and try and pick some scenes before we start dinner."

"Awesome! Thanks, Mom!"

Shelby was just as eager as her daughter when they got down on the floor with the box between them and started going through it.

A couple hours later they had stopped working on their impromptu play and were in the kitchen making dinner. Well, Shelby was. Rachel was sitting on the island snacking on some baby carrots while being mindful of her split lip. Rachel liked to cook sometimes, but she wasn't sure why they just couldn't order some food and keep working on their skits and songs. She couldn't wait to show her dads. She needed to get their camera out and make sure the battery was charged so that their performance could be recorded.

Shelby put a pan in the over and then turned around and pursed her lips and shook her head when she saw that Rachel was sitting with her legs crossed with her feet on the counter and putting another carrot in her mouth.

"Get your feet off the counter," Shelby said. "And stop eating. We're having dinner soon."

"It's still got like three hours to cook," Rachel complained.

"It does not," Shelby said. "And I can just forget about the brownies I was going to make since you've been eating this whole time."

Rachel hurriedly put the carrots away and held the bag out for her mom to take.

"No, make the brownies!" Rachel said. "I want some."

"I thought so," Shelby said. She went to the refrigerator and started to pull some eggs out for the batter. "How was school this week? Do you have any homework due on Monday?"

"No," Rachel said. "I finished it all up. The only thing major was the stupid history project. And even that's done."

"Good," Shelby said. "How are you feeling? Is your lip ok?"

"Yeah," Rachel said with a sigh. "Everyone's going to see it on Monday. They'll know I lost again."

"Honey, that's not true," Shelby said.

"Yes it is," Rachel told her. "Santana was able to get cleaned up and I've got to live with my lip and the bruise."

"It won't be as bad as you think," Shelby said. "And we can do our best to cover it up before school Monday."

"Ok," Rachel said. She looked around for the carrots before remembering she didn't have them anymore. "I wonder how Santana is going to act. And Quinn."

"It sounded like she was going to be in a fair amount of trouble so hopefully neither of them will bother you," Shelby said.

"Hopefully they won't take it out of me," Rachel said.

"Promise me that you will talk to your dads or me if that happens," Shelby said. "We will fix it. You do not have to deal with any of that on your own."

"It's whatever," Rachel said.

"No," Shelby said firmly and stopped what she was doing and went to stand in front of Rachel. She rest her hands on either side of Rachel's hips and leaned into the girl's crossed legs. She never did take her feet off the counter. "It is not whatever. Promise me. Please."

"I promise," Rachel said softly. It would depend on the circumstances as to whether she actually meant it or not.

"Good girl," Shelby said. She stood back up straight and moved Rachel's socked feet so that they were dangling over the side and not on the counter. "Now, how about you help me with the brownies?"

"Ok," Rachel smiled. Brownies was definitely something she could get behind.

Rachel's 'help' consisted of waiting around until the batter was made and then trying to get tastes of it. Shelby actually wanted to be able to pour it in a pan before all of it was eaten by her daughter so she kept having to shoo the girl away. Rachel finally conceded and left the kitchen. She was watching TV when she noticed her mother go into the downstairs bathroom. She couldn't let an opening like that go. Rachel quickly got to her feet and went into the kitchen.

Shelby noticed right away that the couch was empty when she walked back towards the kitchen. Her suspicions were spot on and she saw Rachel bringing her finger out of the batter and sticking it in her mouth. Shelby grabbed a dish towel and rolled it up and let it snap against Rachel's backside.

"Ow!" Rachel exclaimed and she jumped and she still had her finger still in her mouth as she turned to face her mom. "Mom!"

"I'm not going to have any to make the brownies with," Shelby said. "That's enough."

"But you have to give me the beaters to lick," Rachel said. "And the bowl after you've poured it. That's like a law or something."

"You can have those, but only if you stop eating it all now," Shelby said.

"Ok," Rachel agreed.

Rachel hovered until Shelby had poured the batter into a pan and smiled greedily when she was handed the bowl and mixers lick the chocolate from. She disappeared into the living room while Shelby checked on the rest of dinner. Her plan was to eat while the brownies were baking.

Satisfied that everything was as it should be, Shelby picked up her phone and followed Rachel into the living room. Dinner had a few more minutes to cook and then she would make the brownie switch and they would eat. Rachel hadn't noticed she was there and Shelby stayed back and watched Rachel run her finger along the inside of the bowl and scoop some of the chocolate batter to her mouth. The girl didn't even notice, or care, that she had chocolate on her cheek like war paint. Shelby quickly brought up the camera on her phone and snapped a few pictures without Rachel knowing. Shelby smiled down at the images she'd captured as she leaned against the wall. This was perfect.

By the time they sat down to dinner, Rachel wasn't really that hungry and Shelby put her dinner away for later. Later was when Rachel dived into the brownies. Shelby had tried to enforce a bedtime of midnight and they were close because Rachel was in bed by 12:45. And finished playing on her phone by 1:30.

They spent a long time Sunday working on their show. Shelby had an hour after Rachel got home from school Monday before she needed to leave to be at the airport on time. The plan was to perform the show then for Hiram and LeRoy. Once Shelby convinced Rachel to stop with the show, they spent the rest of the day hanging out and watching movies. Rachel got Shelby to do her nails for her and then promised to make dinner. Shelby promised to stay out of it and let Rachel work and then attempted to be stern when the delivery man showed up with Chinese food she had to pay for. Rachel's laughter at her joke was contagious though and Shelby's annoyance didn't last long.

LeRoy and Hiram had left her one rule they wanted followed and Shelby was determined to follow it. Rachel was not.

"Rachel, you have school tomorrow," Shelby said. "I don't want to argue about this. You need to get ready for bed."

"Mom," Rachel whined. "10:30 is far too early to be in bed. You know that."

"It's the rule, Rachel," Shelby countered. "You know that." She was trying to channel her inner Berry men. They wouldn't let her get away with this. She needed to see this like she saw the climbing in the basement. She thought back to what LeRoy told her the other day; that Rachel's opinion was not always the most important one. He said she couldn't watch the movie and so she didn't. Shelby was telling her she had to go to bed and so that's what she was going to do.

"But if anything, I probably get too much sleep," Rachel said. "I've been meaning to talk to my dads about it."

It took everything Shelby had not to roll her eyes at that excuse. What would Marie say? Her beloved Mimi did not play around when it was bedtime. 'Bed. Now.' Shelby smiled at the memory of her best friend's mom pointing up the stairs and threatening to get her wooden spoon if they didn't listen. She never actually got it, but the threat was enough sometimes.

"Well that is something you will have to take up with your fathers when they get home," Shelby said. "But for right now, we are going to stick with that rule."

"But, Mom!" Rachel whined and stamped her foot.

"Go on," Shelby said. "I'll come say goodnight in a few minutes."

"Fine," Rachel huffed and stomped her way out of the room.

Shelby waited until the girl was out of ear shot before she chuckled and made a mental note to tell Mimi about this when she got back to New York. She could already hear her laughing about it.

Rachel was pouting in her room when Shelby went up to say goodnight, but at least she was in her pajamas. She sat down next to her on the bed and put an arm around her when Rachel leaned her head down and rested it on her shoulder.

"Mom," Rachel said. She sounded so pitiful.

"Hmmm?"

"Don't you want me to stay up with you since you're leaving tomorrow and we have so little time left?" Rachel asked.

"Oh Rach, I would love nothing more than for you to be able to do that," Shelby said. Rachel smiled. "But you can't. You are not missing school just to hang out with me. I will wake you up in the morning and I'm not leaving until after you're home tomorrow afternoon and we'll be together again soon. But school is the important thing. And you need your sleep."

Rachel's smile had faded and she hated that little speech. School was not the most important thing right now. Most days she'd rather be anywhere but there; especially not that anywhere included seeing her mother in New York. But she knew she was going to have to concede at the moment.

"Fine," Rachel said.

"Sorry, but those are the breaks, kiddo," Shelby said with a smile and a kiss on the head for her daughter. "I love you."

"I love you too," Rachel said.

Shelby held the blankets back while Rachel scooted herself under them. It felt good to be tucked in by her mother. Even if it was at an ungodly early hour. Shelby kissed her one more time and then shut off the light and closed the door on her way out of the room. Despite her pout, Shelby loved being able to put Rachel to bed.

Rachel tossed. And then she turned. She could not get to sleep. She was not letting herself relax long enough to shut her eyes for any length of time and she threw back her covers in annoyance when she looked at her clock and saw that it was only 10:47. Stupid bedtime. Her mom was there. Did her dads have to remember every detail ever? She should be able to stay up with her mom; she could catch up on sleep tomorrow.

Rachel got out of bed and headed for the door. She needed a drink and the water in bathroom simply would not do right now. She needed kitchen water.

Shelby wasn't in the living room, but Rachel could hear her talking in the kitchen and figured she must be on the phone. Rachel didn't go into the kitchen – it would be rude to interrupt, after all – and instead she peeked around the corner and could see that Shelby had her back to her and was sitting at the table with a bottle of beer and a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. Rachel had always suspected the adults had some sort of party whenever the kids went to bed.

"Where are you guys going?" Shelby asked into her phone.

Rachel wished she could hear who was on the other end.

"A cruise? That's awesome," Shelby said. "I've never done that."

Rachel didn't have to hear who was on the other end to know it was her dads. They took a cruise every year and her grandparents usually alternated who stayed with her. Oh man, she was going to go and spend that time in New York City! Rachel was excited. Her mom. No school. Lots of Broadway. This was going to be amazing!

"Hang on, let me check and make sure I have the right week," Shelby said. She played with her phone for a second and set it to speaker so she could then pull up her calendar. "The middle of April?"

"Yeah, it's just about six weeks from now," LeRoy said.

"I can't be here that whole week," Shelby said sadly.

Here? No. Rachel slumped her shoulders. She was supposed to go to New York. Well maybe if her mother couldn't come here they would have to send her to New York.

"I've got two engagements I can't get out of," Shelby continued. "I can be here midday on the third day you're gone. Can her grandparents come into town? She can always come to me, but I don't want her to miss any school."

What was with all of her parents and school? Rachel took another step forward so she could make sure to hear everything. She hoped her mother didn't turn around.

"Her grandparents watch her every year so I'm sure it won't be a problem," LeRoy said. "If you can't get there until Wednesday, that's fine."

"Are you sure?" Shelby asked. "I feel so awful, but this is one of those things-"

"Nah, don't worry about it," LeRoy brushed it off. It really wasn't that big of a deal. Rachel usually had fun with her grandparents, no matter which set came to stay. And she'd love for Shelby to finish out the week with her.

Rachel had other plans though. Her mother couldn't come until the third day. That means she could get two days to herself. She was fifteen. There's no reason she couldn't spend two days by herself. It would give her a chance to show all of her parents just how grown up she could be.

Rachel abandoned her plan to ask for water as a way of prolonging her bedtime and turned back towards the stairs. She needed to work on some details and selling points, but she was determined to convince them all that in a month and a half, she was getting the house to herself.

**A/N – That's the end of this chapter. Again, I am so, so sorry about the delay in getting this one posted. I really wish it hadn't taken so long. But I do hope you all understand and will stick with me. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying to plant some seeds and set some stuff up. Please, if you can, leave me a review and let me know what you thought. Thanks! **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N – I'm sorry for the delay. I truly am. I appreciate your patience and understanding. Thank you all so much for the reviews and messages. I know this isn't moving at the pace a lot of people would like, but I'm doing my best. I will do everything I can to get the updates out faster. Please bear with me though. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

Rachel's alarm went off Monday morning and she groaned as she quickly silenced it. She did not want to have to get up right now. And she didn't want to have to go to school while her mother was still there. She shouldn't have to go with her stupid split lip and she shouldn't have to deal with Santana or Quinn today. Life was simply not fair at the moment and none of her parents understood that. Rachel rolled over and shut her eyes and let out a long sigh. She had to be there today because of the stupid project. They had to present it to the class. And of course there was glee rehearsal and she really didn't want to miss that. She wished she could just show up later for that and not have to deal with the rest of the day. Well… maybe she could. Rachel smiled devilishly as she pulled the blankets all the way up and over her head. She needed to warm up.

Shelby was downstairs in just her pajama bottoms and a t-shirt so she could make breakfast for Rachel before making sure she was up for school. She started to crack an egg, but then stopped and looked back towards the stairs. She hadn't heard any signs that the girl was awake and she figured she better check and make sure she was up before making any food so that it wouldn't go to waste. Shelby returned the egg to its spot in the carton and went up the stairs. Part of her hoped that Rachel was still asleep so that she could be the one to wake her up to get ready for school. She sighed though and let her practical side take over; Rachel should already be up and moving so that she wasn't late.

Shelby knocked lightly and waited for a response, but she didn't hear anything. She opened the door a crack and peeked in and saw that Rachel was still in bed. She smiled despite knowing that the girl was going to be running late.

"Rach, it's time to get up," Shelby said as she stepped into the room. "You need to start getting ready for school."

Rachel groaned and gripped the blankets tighter. "I don't want to."

"You have to sweetheart," Shelby cooed. "You've got school and you're already running late. Come on."

Shelby tugged lightly on the blankets until Rachel relented and she was able to pull them away from the girl's face. Rachel looked up at her with sad, pitiful eyes and sniffled.

"I don't feel good," Rachel said. She coughed a couple times and buried her head in her pillow.

Shelby's first instinct was to think that Rachel was lying to get out of going to school. She even smiled and pulled the blankets back some more.

"You don't feel good, huh?" Shelby asked.

"No," Rachel whined. "I'm all achy and I'm so cold." She tried to pull her blankets back to her face, but Shelby held them away.

"Honey, you've got to go to school," Shelby said.

"Mommy," Rachel whined some more. "I can't."

Shelby tried to be strong, but she couldn't help but think that Rachel looked flushed. And when she touched a hand to her forehead, Rachel felt warm. Shelby pushed the hair back from Rachel's face and pressed her lips to the girl's forehead and gave her a quick kiss. She couldn't deny that Rachel felt feverish. She couldn't just force her to get up and go to school if she had a fever.

"I'll get you some medicine," Shelby said. "Where do your dads keep it?"

"In their bathroom," Rachel answered pitifully.

"Ok, I'll be right back."

Shelby felt kind of weird about going into Hiram and LeRoy's bedroom to get to their bathroom, but she had done it a couple days prior when she'd cleaned up Rachel's lip. And what was important was that she needed to get the girl some medicine to help get the fever down. Shelby grabbed the pills she wanted and also picked up the thermometer when she saw it in the cabinet. Her next stop was the kitchen to get a bottle of water and then she made her way back to Rachel's room.

Rachel was curled up on the bed with the blankets back up and around her face. Shelby smiled sadly at her sick little girl as she shook her gently to get her to open her eyes.

"Here honey, I've got some medicine for you to take," Shelby said and Rachel started to comply until her mother added, "And I found a thermometer so I can see how high your temperature is."

Rachel panicked for a second and then silently chastised herself to get it together and improvise.

"I don't want to," Rachel said and worked up some tears. "I'm fine," she added as she attempted to roll over to her other side.

"Sweetheart, don't fuss," Shelby cooed. "You need to take something."

"Will you lie down with me?" Rachel asked pitifully.

"Of course I will," Shelby said. "If you take the medicine."

"Ok," Rachel nodded.

Shelby went to the other side of the bed since Rachel had rolled over and waited for her to sit up and then handed her the pills and water. She then climbed into the bed and reclined against some pillows she'd propped against the headboard and let Rachel get comfortable and snuggle up next to her. The thermometer lay forgotten next to Rachel's phone on the bedside table on the opposite side of the bed.

Shelby hummed and ran her fingers through Rachel's hair and watched contentedly as the girl drifted back to sleep. Rachel was leaning against her mother and Shelby pulled the blankets tight and got comfortable herself and it wasn't long before she too drifted off.

It was over an hour before Shelby started to stir. She felt Rachel moving around, but she hadn't quite registered yet to open her eyes. Rachel was awake and playing on her phone as she leaned back into her mom. She'd been awake for about ten minutes, but was enjoying getting to be lazy and cuddle. This plan had worked brilliantly. And honestly, she wasn't sure what it was going to hurt. She hadn't missed school because she was sick in a long time. Sure, there was a day or two missed because of New York, but that didn't matter. It was perfectly ok to miss school every now and then. She planned to score some points later on when she decided that she felt well enough to go to glee practice.

Rachel had her phone set to silent and she was glad she did because it didn't chime when she received a text message from Kurt.

"Where are you?" Kurt's message read. "Did you forget about the project?"

Rachel hid the screen of the phone against her stomach and then craned her neck and looked up at her mother and saw that the woman's eyes were still closed. She gave it another second before starting to type out a reply.

Shelby's eyes fluttered open and she smiled down at the top of Rachel's head. It didn't seem as if a teenage girl was ever too sick to play on her phone. Not that she had any room to talk herself, Shelby knew.

She looked down to see what Rachel was doing and didn't mean to snoop at her text, but it was hard to miss because Rachel was holding it up and typing.

"I'm sick," Rachel wrote back to Kurt. "Not really, but my mom bought that I am." She even included a winking smiley.

Shelby's smile quickly changed to a frown and she was about to say something when another message from Kurt popped up.

"That's great for you, but now I'm stuck presenting the project alone with Satan and Quinn," Kurt wrote.

Rachel rolled her eyes and Shelby narrowed hers. The mother cleared her throat ominously and Rachel jumped and quickly pressed the phone to her chest and slowly turned her head to look at her mother.

"Morning," Rachel said innocently.

Shelby did not return the greeting and instead reached around Rachel and took the phone from her hand. She closed out of the text message window and then turned the phone off completely. She then pushed the blanket back and sat up which forced Rachel to do the same.

"Get up and get ready for school," Shelby said. "I'm going to take you in."

"Mom, it's not like that," Rachel tried to argue. "I still-"

"Rachel," Shelby silenced her with the reproach.

Rachel sighed and got up and trudged off toward the bathroom and shut herself in. It was only after she was out of sight that Shelby cracked a smile. That sneaky kid! Shelby did not appreciate being lied to or used, but she could deal with that later. Getting Rachel to school so she didn't miss a whole day was more important. Plus, Shelby felt like maybe she was getting the mom tone down and that pleased her.

By the time they arrived at the school forty-five minutes later, Rachel wasn't sure if all of her attempts to sweet talk her mother had worked. Shelby had acted normal and made her a quick breakfast and helped with her make up to try and cover her split lip, but Rachel still hadn't gotten her phone back. She knew it was lost for the day when Shelby left it on the small table in the hall as they were walking out the front door. Rachel had sighed dramatically as she got into Shelby's rental car.

Rachel was glad that classes were in session when they walked into the school so that she didn't have to deal with people staring at Shelby in the hallways.

"Mom, I'm sorry," Rachel said with a bit of a pout and big eyes. She had stopped them before they got in the office.

"It's ok," Shelby said as she put her arm around Rachel and leaned down and kissed her head. "Come on, you're late enough as it is."

Shelby took great pleasure in getting to sign her daughter in. It really was a tiny thing, but it was just another part of being a parent and she was proud to get to sign anything legally for her daughter. She got to sign on the parent line and that was awesome. Rachel was given a pass and Shelby kissed her goodbye and watched until Rachel turned a corner and was out of sight before leaving the school to go back to the house.

Rachel wanted her phone, but she was glad that Shelby seemed to be so understanding. If losing her phone for the school day was her only punishment, she would take it.

Kurt rolled his eyes when Rachel walked into their Biology class late and handed the pass to the teacher. She took her seat next to him and ignored his smirk.

"Feeling better?" He whispered sarcastically.

"Yes, I am," Rachel whispered back. Her head was held high.

"Busted," Kurt said.

"Yeah," Rachel confirmed.

"At least you'll be here to help with the project," Kurt told her.

"Joy." It was Rachel's turn to be sarcastic. "I was hoping to not have to deal with Santana."

"I bet it won't be so bad," Kurt whispered with a shrug. "Her mother looked pissed. Maybe Santana will leave you alone now."

"I hope," Rachel said. "But I'm not counting on it."

"Mr. Hummel, Ms. Berry, would you too like to finish this conversation in detention this afternoon?" Mr. Marshall asked.

The two kids had quickly shut their mouths and snapped their heads towards their teacher at the front of the class.

"No, sir," Rachel answered while Kurt shook his head.

"Then I suggest you both quiet down and pay attention," Mr. Marshall said.

Both kids nodded and Rachel let out a relieved sigh. She didn't want to have to go home and tell her mom she'd gotten detention on top of everything else.

The History class wasn't until after lunch and all of the kids were given a chance to meet with their groups for a few minutes before presentations started. They'd likely go over two days and all four kids were hoping to just get it over with as soon as possible.

"Hey," Quinn said awkwardly when they were together in their group.

"Hey," Kurt answered.

Rachel snuck a glance at Santana only to have her look away. She'd been studying Rachel's lip to see how it was doing. Rachel rolled her eyes and looked away as well. Quinn lightly elbowed Santana and leaned in towards the group.

"Ok, we've got to get over this so we can do the presentation," Quinn said. "I'd like to maintain my grades and having us all awkward and tense is going to make our presentation look bad. Rachel, how's your lip?"

"Fine," Rachel muttered crossly.

"Good," Quinn said. "Santana-"

"What?" Santana cut her off. Quinn just gave her a pointed look and Santana finally sighed and turned to Rachel. "Look, I'm sorry, ok. I shouldn't have said that and I really didn't mean it, I swear."

Rachel scoffed, but Kurt poked her and shook his head.

Santana took a breath and let her guard down for just a moment. "I love my mother more than anything and I know how hurt I would be if someone told me that she didn't want anything to do with me. So I'm sorry."

Rachel studied her eyes and found nothing but sincerity. She didn't figure Santana to be that good of an actress so she nodded and said, "Thank you." And in her own moment of vulnerability she added, "When we first met, I was really scared she wouldn't like me. She's so amazing and I'm not."

"She loves you, you moron," Santana said.

"I know," Rachel said cockily. "I think she thought you were a bit of a bitch though." It's not something Rachel would normally ever dare to say to her face, but she smiled smugly as she said it.

"She's right, I am," Santana said proudly.

And just like that the moments of sincerity were over. But both girls cracked a small smile which helped alleviate some of the tension.

Rachel volunteered them to go first much to the consternation of the other members of her group. Sure, they wanted to get it finished today, but they didn't want to go first. But it went off without a hitch and all four kids were relieved when it was over.

Rachel had a lot of fun in glee rehearsal that afternoon despite her split lip which only hampered her singing a little bit. She didn't think she would ever be best friends with Quinn or Santana, but it was nice for the animosity to be gone. She hoped it lasted. And with Regionals only three weeks away, she liked that they could work more as a team. They had to be great at Regionals so they'd win and get to keep the glee club alive. Plus Shelby would be there and Rachel couldn't wait to perform in front of her. And she was certainly not the only child in the club that felt that way.

Rachel made the short walk home from school that afternoon and her shoulders sagged a bit when she saw her dads' car in the driveway. She hated that her mother had to leave today. As soon as she walked in the front door, Rachel looked to the small table hoping to find her phone, but it wasn't there. She had wanted to check it, but now her concern was where her mother may have put it.

"Hey!" Hiram greeted and lifted her off the ground in a hug.

"Hi, Dad," Rachel said and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Did you have a nice couple of days?" Hiram asked.

"It was great," Rachel smiled.

"Hi," LeRoy said as he came into the room and also got a hug.

"How long have you been home?" Rachel asked.

"Not long," LeRoy said. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Rachel shrugged. "Same as always." She wondered what they knew. Her mom wouldn't rat her out, would she?

"Hey, Rach," Shelby said as the three Berrys moved towards the living room. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Rachel said and gave her mother a pleading look.

Shelby chose to ignore her daughter's silent plea.

"You're feeling better than this morning, I hope," Shelby said.

"Mom," Rachel tried to keep the whine out of her voice.

LeRoy glanced over at Hiram with a questioning look and found his husband to be just as confused. They wanted to ask, but each stayed silent so Shelby could continue. They could see Rachel shifting from foot to foot – a telltale sign that she was in trouble – and weren't about to step on Shelby's toes now.

"I hated the thought that you were sick this morning," Shelby said, "so you can only imagine how relieved I was to find out that you just wanted to stay home. I'm glad it was sorted out so early because you ended up not missing that much of the day. But it does also mean that you are grounded for the rest of the day."

"Mom!" Rachel exclaimed as she stamped her foot.

"I also think that it would be wise if you went to bed a little bit earlier tonight to make sure you get plenty of sleep," Shelby said. "Maybe you weren't feeling good because you didn't get enough sleep."

"That's not fair!" Rachel said. She was definitely whining now. "I'm fine."

"I know that, sweetheart," Shelby said. "But for right now, you need to go up to your room and stay there."

"Mom," Rachel said again. It was more pitiful this time because tears were forming in her eyes.

"Go on," Shelby said.

Hiram and LeRoy were smiling behind Rachel until the girl turned around to look at them and they both quickly changed their expressions into serious ones and did not offer their daughter the reprieve she was seeking.

Rachel turned back and looked at Shelby with a mixture of hurt and anger in her eyes before stomping out of the room and up the stairs. Shelby looked over at the men and opened her mouth to say something, but Hiram held up a hand so she would wait. It was only a few more seconds before Rachel's bedroom door slammed shut and Hiram motioned for Shelby to continue.

"She played sick this morning so she could stay home from school," Shelby explained to the fathers.

Hiram shook his head and LeRoy tried to hide a small smile. Somehow, they were not surprised.

"You believed her, huh?" Hiram asked.

"I was skeptical at first, but she was warm to the touch and she said she was aching all over," Shelby said. "She was flushed and her head was hot. So I told her she could stay home. I couldn't send her to school with a fever."

"Did you take her temperature?" LeRoy asked.

"I started to," Shelby said. "I went into your bathroom to get her some aspirin and I got the thermometer, but she didn't want it. That kid is sneaky," Shelby laughed. "She talked me out of it and then she wanted me to stay with her and I lied down and we both fell asleep."

"How'd you find out she was faking?" LeRoy asked.

"She woke up before I did and was on her phone," Shelby explained. "Kurt texted her and asked where she was and she told him she was playing sick, she just didn't realize that I was reading over her shoulder. So I made her get up and I took her to school."

"Well she definitely deserves this grounding," Hiram said.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys about it first," Shelby said. "But I wanted to take care of it on my own. I wanted her to take the punishment from me and not be lectured by you guys. I didn't want her to think she's being tattled on and I want her to know that I'm going to have no problems disciplining her too. She needs to not just be worried that she'll be in trouble with you two."

"I'm glad you did it that way," LeRoy said. "It was right for her and right for you and all of us as a family."

"And we will back you one hundred percent, of course," Hiram said.

"Thanks," Shelby smiled. "I'm going to give her a little time and then go up and talk to her. I'm glad I've got the later flight tonight."

"Be strong when you go up there," LeRoy advised. "I can guarantee she's up there pouting right now and she will probably work up some more tears as soon as you get there."

"I'm prepared," Shelby laughed. "I hope. You guys should have seen her this morning. She was so cute curled up in bed with her flushed face and pout. I just wanted to scoop her up."

Both men nodded in understanding because they had been there many times with Rachel.

"Remember when she got the chicken pox and would cry when we told her not to scratch so much?" Hiram asked.

"She was so cute, Shelby," LeRoy said. "She was four and she was just miserable at first and she was convinced nothing would make her feel better. She cried all the way through her oatmeal bath and then didn't want us to put any lotion on her because she was convinced it would hurt. She escaped from us and took off running naked through the house. I had to hold her still while Hiram put the lotion on the spots."

"And then once she saw that the lotion was pink, she decided it was ok and she'd like more of it," Hiram said.

"After that, she just wanted to be held and cuddled for the entire week she had it," LeRoy said.

"Aww," Shelby smiled.

"It's only 'aww' for a little while. She can be a horrible patient," Hiram laughed.

"Rachel's a bit needy sometimes," LeRoy joked.

"I don't believe it," Shelby said with fake shock.

"And you won't know she's won until it's two in the morning and you're up singing Barney songs with her because 'it helps my itchies.'" Hiram said. The last part had been a perfect imitation of a little Rachel.

"That's adorable," Shelby gushed. "I had the chicken pox when I was four too."

"Now we know who to thank," LeRoy said.

"And I've been blaming you all this time," Hiram said to his husband.

"I should have known," LeRoy said as if he were offended.

"Oh, do you want to see some pictures of her covered in that pink lotion?" Hiram asked.

"Of course," Shelby said.

"Come on, I'll get the album," LeRoy said.

Hiram took Shelby's hand and led her into the living so they could get comfortable on the couch while LeRoy fetched the pictures.

Half an hour later, Shelby made her way to Rachel's room and knocked lightly on the door. It took a few moments, but Rachel finally said to come in. Shelby opened the door and found Rachel sitting on the bed with her knees drawn to her chest and her chin resting on them. Sure enough, it was clear she had been crying and she was working herself up again.

"Sweetheart, let's have a talk," Shelby said as she sat down next to her.

"Why?" Rachel sniffled. "I'm grounded. The end."

Shelby sighed and looked over at her petulant child and smiled. Surely she had never pouted as deeply as Rachel was right now. Well, maybe not with her own mother, but certainly with Marie.

"Honey," Shelby said, "you lied to me this morning. You tried to trick me and would have continued lying all day if I hadn't seen your text. So yes, you are grounded."

"I just wanted to stay home with you," Rachel said. "You're leaving today."

"I know that," Shelby told her. "And I get it. But you missing school, especially because you are lying to me, is not acceptable. Rachel, like it or not, we have lives and those lives have to maintained right now. Your job is to go to school. That is the most important thing for you. I don't want to see your grades slip or anything like that."

"But it was just one day," Rachel complained. How was it that no one understood?

"And I don't want you getting into the habit of taking a day off from school every time I'm here," Shelby said. "I want us all to maintain a normal life. Rachel, I had the best time of my life this weekend getting to be here with you and just be your mom, but we're also not going to kick your dads out every time I'm here. A balance has to be reached. But within that balance will be the fact that you are going to school every day."

Rachel slumped her shoulders even further and looked away. Shelby wanted to give in and call it over and pull Rachel to her, but she needed to make one more point first.

"Rachel, look at me," Shelby said. "This is important." She waited until she had the girl's attention before continuing. "I don't want to be lied to again. Or to be used. It is disrespectful and I don't like it. Do you understand?"

Rachel sank further into herself as her mother spoke. She was embarrassed at being called out and chastised over something she knew her fathers didn't tolerate either. She knew she was going to have to stop thinking of them as different people. Shelby the star and Shelby the fun mom and Shelby the friend were all pretty distinct in Rachel's mind most of the time, even though those distinctions were fading. With each she knew who she was dealing with and how to get what she wanted. It had been building, but this weekend helped to open her eyes more to the person her mother truly was. She was Shelby the parent and Rachel was really starting to understand that.

"Yes ma'am, I understand," Rachel answered contritely.

"Good girl," Shelby said and she leaned over and kissed Rachel's head.

"Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not still going to be mad at me when you go home tonight, are you?" Rachel asked seriously. "I know I'm grounded until tomorrow. But you have to leave and I'll still be up here."

"Rach, of course not," Shelby said. "I'm not mad at you. You're being punished, but I'm not mad. You understand why, don't you?"

"Yeah," Rachel said. "And I'm sorry. It seemed like it was worth a try at the time."

"Maybe it was," Shelby said. "Now you know better."

"Yes ma'am," Rachel sighed. She shifted her position and leaned into Shelby. "I wish you didn't have to leave tonight."

"Me either," Shelby said. "But I do. Just a few more months of the show and I will have more time to spend here with you."

"And me there with you in New York," Rachel added.

"Yes, of course," Shelby laughed. "And I'm working on planning a vacation for just the two of us."

"Really?" Rachel asked excitedly. "Where?"

"That is a surprise," Shelby answered and laughed merrily when Rachel huffed. "I'd also like to take you to Indiana with me to meet my friend Elizabeth and her mom Marie. Would that be ok? They're dying to meet you."

"I'd love that!" Rachel said.

"I'm glad," Shelby said. "Just let me work it all out, ok?"

"Ok," Rachel agreed.

"Now, how about we get out of this room and head downstairs?" Shelby asked rhetorically. "I know two guys who are waiting anxiously to see a show."

"Really? We can still do that even though I'm grounded?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, of course," Shelby said. "You're grounded, not in solitary confinement. You can even have dinner with us later."

"Mom," Rachel said with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on," Shelby said.

Their show went off perfectly and then men thoroughly enjoyed it. Rachel was over the moon and had been thrilled with the whole process. There was only a minor hiccup before they started when Shelby denied Rachel permission to invite Kurt to see it. He would have to settle for the recorded version, she was told. Later that evening, after it had been emailed to him, Kurt complained to his father for an hour about Rachel's punishment getting in the way of him getting to see Shelby Corcoran perform something live.

Dinner came and went and the family was standing by the door saying their goodbyes. Hiram had taken custody of Rachel's phone from Shelby and the girl looked at it longingly as it was passed between the two. Maybe going to bed early that night wouldn't be so bad because at least then she could get this whole grounding over with.

Shelby wrapped her arms around Rachel and held her close as she leaned down to kiss her head.

"You'll be here for Regionals, right?" Rachel asked. "It's in three weeks."

"I've already got my flight booked," Shelby told her. "I wouldn't miss it."

"We have to win," Rachel said. "I know we will since you'll be there."

"You guys are going to be great," Shelby said.

When they had stalled as long as possible, Shelby finally broke away and exited the house and got in her rental car and drove away. Rachel made her way back up to her room to start getting ready for bed and flopped down on her bed instead. In addition to getting ready for Regionals, Rachel had three weeks to prepare the perfect proposal to present to her parents for why she should get to stay home alone. She needed everything to be just right. She looked over at her clock and saw far-too-early-to-be-getting-ready-for-bed hour and knew that not getting in anymore trouble between now and then would be a good start. She couldn't be grounded when she submitted her proposal. Nope, she was going to be grown up and mature from here on out.

"Lights out soon, sweetheart," LeRoy said when he poked his head into her room.

"Daddy," Rachel whined.

Crap, Rachel silently chastised herself. She assumed grown up and mature would come easier than that. Well, she didn't have to start while she was grounded. Tomorrow would be better.

**A/N – That's it for this one. I hope you guys like it. We're heading off to Regionals and beyond next. I really do hope you guys are enjoying this one. I could really use some reviews, please. Thanks! **


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